Month: December 2019

Testing techniques

Backstory, active voice, and the stream of consciousness. Foreshadowing. Write like a movie camera.

These are just some of the techniques I´ll be testing in January 2020. To have an idea for a novel is one thing. Another matter is to write that novel. Therefore, I have been studying a lot this fall and winter. Now it is almost time to practice what I´ve learned.

I´ve dedicated January 2020 to practice. To write short stories about the ideas I´ve gathered for my novel. It´s only a few pages yet, but I´ll raise the stakes along with the planning of the novel in February 2020.

Some research is yet to be completed. Now the devil is in the details. To achieve a certain kind of realism in my novel, I need professional advice, and I´m preparing relevant questions to ask when necessary.

Today, I´m testing the inner monologue, the stream of consciousness as I´m writing this blog post.

At the same time, it is the last blog post of the year 2019. It has been six great months as a new blogger. I know I probably make a lot of mistakes, but without them, there wouldn´t be something to learn from. And I´m grateful for my followers and readers.

It is a special journey to take part in, and it is a privilege to have the freedom of speech. I wish many more people were able to enjoy it too. But unfortunately, the world is as always a crazy place with disagreements, disputes, and wars between people.

My Christmas wish for world peace was not fulfilled. So I hope for this New Year that the world will try to reach that goal in 2020. Then there truly would be something to celebrate.

I celebrate six months as a blogger by sending a big thank you to the many bloggers I´ve been following and learned from. For inspiration, thorough knowledge, and love for writing.

I also send a silent thank you to my ancestors for the ability to write something worth reading. To play music with the words, to let my fingers dance across the keyboard, to feel like flying on the magic carpet when writing.

Sitting in my living room, I´m listening to epic orchestral music and contemplating this year. It has been an extremely speedy year. The seasons have passed so quickly that I hardly can follow along. I try to stay afloat with the mundane world outside my home, but it is getting more difficult.

I last saw it on Black Friday. The craziness in people around me, the stressful hour-long queues, and the amount of money being spend on plastic products. I asked myself, why is this so important that some people are willing to park their car in a big flowerbowl at the shopping mall?

No, I prefer a simple life without too many surprises in my everyday. I have heard and seen enough of how people are capable to behave. I prefer to know a few people whom I trust rather than having a large number of flatterers who are the first to leave you when the shit hits the fan, pardon my French.

And I know such special people. They are right beside me in whatever I do. They are close family and friends. It is not biological, it is a choice for life. We live in a happy rainbow family, and I´m proud of it. It makes my life complete, special, and worth living.

We do experience conflicts like everybody else. But we talk ourselves through them and help each other adapt to whatever challenge life may throw at us. So the worst conflicts I save for my novel, where they should be.

So, yes I have seen many things and heard even more in life, even though I´m only fifty years old. Today, there´s a lot more going on than in my childhood and youth. The world is an ever-changing place, and there is only one way, forward.

Nevertheless, I believe that mankind could easily behave much better if people only dared to try more than they do today. To be kind is not hard. To speak in a friendly tone to and with other people is not difficult. And to be polite towards other people is not in vain.

But it is getting rare these years that people treat each other with respect and care. It is as if everybody is hunting down the golden calf at any cost. And for what? Happiness cannot be bought or sold on cheap bottles to crazy high prices.

True happiness to me is to be fairly healthy, to be happy and content in the present moment, and to get the most out of everything. I don´t need yet another plastic item to fill my time with. So I prioritize my buyings, and I only buy when it is necessary and affordable on a strict budget.

And that practice I´ll be taking with me in the new year. To use what I already have before buying, that is my goal for 2020.

What to expect in January 2020

Due to my current novel project, I´ve decided to publish only one blog post per week in 2020. My publishing day will be Friday. During the week, I´ll be working with my novel in-depth, practicing daily witchcraft, and considering good content for this blog.

• Friday, January 3, 2020: The first ritual of the year, good luck to my novel
• Friday, January 10, 2020: Elements of the psychological thriller
• Friday, January 17, 2020: The art of letting go
• Friday, January 24, 2020: How to plan a novel in a month
• Friday, January 31, 2020: Working with a charm bag

What´s left for this year´s last blog post is to wish my readers and followers a Happy New Year. May 2020 be your year, where your dreams come true. As we will it, so mote it be. Blessed Be.

Looks like this:

• Zen and Taoism
• Nordic and Egyptian mythology
• Gods and goddesses
• Crystals and Chakras
• Spells and rituals

The rest of this blog post is dedicated to my family, my friends, and my readers. It is because of you that I thrive as a human being, a writer and a witch. So thank you for your support and care.

2020 will be a busy year for me. In a couple of months, I´ll be writing my first novel. In a home surrounded by witchcraft in every room. My writing may be a craving need, but witchcraft is essential to me in my everyday.

So besides writing a novel, I plan to study and explore elements of witchcraft that to me means a world of difference. I like the concepts of Zen and Taoism, and it inspires me to read about Nordic and Egyptian mythology. I work with many different gods and goddesses, and I often use crystals in rituals.

When I work with these things, I instantly feel calmness and relaxation in my body, mind, and soul. And there is always more to learn for a constant seeker like me. I need to work in-depth with what I love to do. 

But I also believe that if you do have the time and the necessary resources you should do what you can with what you have.

As an early retired I need to have something to fill my days with. I cannot and will not end up on my couch watching lousy reality shows for the rest of my life. So writing and witchcraft has become my kind of work.

I´m so grateful that I have the possibility to do what I want on a budget. It took strong efforts to get there, but it was worth every inch of the way. And there are days when the money flow is low, but so what?

As long as my health is good, my family and friends are happy, and I can be the me I was born to be, it doesn´t matter that we´re living on a strict budget. You learn to be creative for less, and it is often so much more.

I live in my very own curiosity shop, both figuratively and literally, as there used to be a bakery, a kiosk, and a pizza restaurant in the house I live in. It is almost 120 years old, so there is a lot of spiritual life here.

And I have the privilege to have my creative den and my witch´s den in separate rooms. I know we can´t afford to live here when we get older, but we enjoy it in the present moment instead. We create lasting memories here that we always will carry with us in our hearts.

Witchcraft can help me stay on the right path while I´m writing my novel. There is more to life than writing, and there should also be time for my family and friends in the new year. Witchcraft is a source of inspiration to maintain a healthy balance between work and family time.

So I will use my studies in and experiences with witchcraft to recharge my mental batteries when a writer´s block, the mundane world, or unexpected events may try to make it difficult to write. And I will turn to witchcraft whenever possible.

This year has been a busy witchy year. I have celebrated the changing seasons and the phases of the Moon, I have begun this blog, and I have worked with aromatherapy, my Book of Shadows, and daily mini-rituals.

This blog post is the last about witchcraft this year. I 2020 I will write once a week, alternating between witchcraft and writing. My publishing day will be Friday. So the first blog post about witchcraft in 2020 will be published on Friday, January 3.

My first ritual in 2020 will be about my novel. I plan to make a charm bag to carry with me all the time for good luck and useful inspiration. I will kindly ask the Universe to send me lots of positive karma for 2020. I will make a full ritual for my novel, and it is first on my witchy to-do list for next year.

Other plans include having a morning tea ritual before my writing session, spending more time in my witchy den, also when writing, and celebrating the New and the Full Moons. But I have taken the liberty to do less or more, depending on my health on the day.

I´m fifty years old now. I see things more clearly now, and I take my time to evaluate life. I choose more often to say no to meaningless discussions with other people, especially if it concerns someone close to me. I only have resources for positive things. I only need conflict in my novel.

The rest is up to Karma anyway. I also don´t let mundane issues get in my way to inner happiness. Life will throw challenges at us from time to time. And there is only one way, by my experience, that works and that is forward. Never look back in regret.

Sometimes the learned lesson is a tough one. But it is possible to turn negative experiences into something positive and useful. If you only dare to look yourself in the mirror as guidance once in a while. There you´ll see the truth, whether you like it or not. And it is up to you to change.

It is a good guide for me to look into the mirror in the bathroom in the mornings. So far it has helped me decide to live in the present moment, to keep on trying rather than giving up, and to stay focused on the good and valuable things in life.

And witchcraft will stay in my life forever.

May you have a blessed weekend, dear readers. Merry meet and merry part and merry meet again. So Mote It Be.

This week is dedicated to my family and friends. Today, we are busy preparing for Christmas Eve tomorrow. We give our animals a special treat this evening, and we eat rice porridge for dinner. The last Christmas presents have to be wrapped when the children are sound asleep.

Tomorrow is the big day with delicious food, lots of candy, and Christmas presents for the children.  We will eat the roast pork and my favorite dessert, rice pudding with almonds and whipped cream added.

In the meantime, we talk about the old times before the world went crazy. Change is inevitable, but some changes are better than others. There are too much stress and unhappiness today, and we can only try to avoid it as much as possible.

Therefore, we have planned our shopping for the season carefully. We do it in the mornings when there are not so many people around as in the afternoons. And we try to spend as little time as possible on mundane matters.

Here, we have a basic plan to use when life throws new challenges at us. It is about handling as many mundane matters as possible without stress and worry. That way there is a mental surplus for the more demanding issues that often show up without warning.

It implies keeping a strict budget and staying true to our goals in life. We want to live a quiet, peaceful life where there is room for the little joys in life. We don´t believe in consumerism as a means to gain happiness.

On the contrary, our happiness comes from daily experiences with our rainbow family and our friends for life. It may be so that the money flow is low at times, but we have freedom in return, and in a year, the new car will be paid

Then we will be debt-free again, as we should be. Had it not been necessary to get a new car, we would not have bought one. So 2020 will be a quiet year economically. We are used to living with a tight budget so it doesn´t “hurt” us in the everyday.

This week is dedicated to the typical Danish Christmas traditions for the sake of our neighbor´s sweet children. As a pagan, I don´t celebrate the religious aspect of Christmas, but I love to see and hear the happiness in the children when they get their presents.

They are yet so young and believe in the tale of Santa Claus. They have a unique directness and speak their mind without hesitating as grown-ups often tend to do. And they are spoiled with love rather than materialistic plastic things.

Presents are often homemade here, and we re-purpose as much as possible without being saints. I need to save money for the bills, Nature needs that we take greater care of Her, and it is fun to create something new from something old.

We settled accounts with the past a couple of years ago and changed our lives permanently. It was a conscious choice, and we never look back again. It is a good life, safe and creative. It took quite a few adjustments, but today, we wouldn´t have it any other way.

Although it is family time, as my 81-year-old father is sitting right next to me while I´m writing, there is also room and time for my writing adventure. I gave myself thirty minutes to write this blog post, before my father and I are to play the guitars together.

Yes, I´m trying to learn to play the guitar. I love the feeling of sitting with it practicing to epic music that I would wish I had written. I´m a person with many an interest. So why not the guitar, too? And the drums, the keyboard, the music is essential to me.

I use music in my writing depending on my mood for the day. It helps me concentrate on my thoughts in a creative way. It inspires me, and it gives a natural flow in my writing when I´m at my best. Today, I´m doing my best, however, the osteoarthritis is hurting my hands.

It is especially annoying today because I´m practicing the art of writing a draft without editing it before it is written. I know that I probably will make some mistakes, but it is fun to try. And then my hands pull tricks on me so that I have to pause more times than I like to.

Anyway, life is rough but wonderful. So I keep dancing across the keyboard with my aching hands. Like in a waltz for life, like slow jogging in a forest, like a loving hug to a needing soul. Yes, I´m a writing addict.

Next Monday it is time for the last blog post of the year 2019. 2020 will bring major changes to this blog. I will only write once a week about either writing or witchcraft. And next month, I will be working with the techniques I have studied this fall and winter.

Today, I´m working with a character questionnaire for my protagonist in my novel. I have more clarity now after my studies of the art of writing a novel. For it is an art, it is full-time dedication, and it is hard work.

At the same time, every baby-step of the way, I learn new things about myself and the world I live in. The world has always been a crazy place. The terms of survival are just as tough today as they were at the beginning of our world as we know it.

But it is wonderful to be alive and present to experience it. I´m grateful for my family and friends, and now it is family time again. In six hours we will be eating our rice porridge and having fun together. And I know it will be true happiness.

Merry Christmas, dear readers, may your holidays be fun and life-affirming. As we will it, so mote it be.

Due to the Christmas celebrations and family visit, this blog post and the blog posts for next week are shorter than usual. Today, my father arrives in a couple of hours, and then it is family time with many hours of joy and happiness.

The Tarot cards are my means of looking into the future. I do not plan my life after the cards, but I use their advice to be more honest with myself so that I can make clearer decisions about important matters.

I use the classical Rider Waite standard Tarot deck. I like the layout, and I feel comfortable using them. I have a bought deck for the big spreads, but in general, I use a mini version of the deck that I have created from free material on the Internet.

I always make three Tarot spreads when the new year is almost here. I use spreads with many Tarot cards because I like to reflect on the developments during the year and to compare to the previous years.

The first spread is about my inner journey as a witch and as a human being. I ask questions about the developments during the year, lessons learned, and what I need to do to improve myself next year. The second and third spreads are about the potential events in the new year, spread over the individual months.

My guidelines for 2020 are to stay focused on my project about writing my first novel, to remember to take some time off from time to time, and to seek joy in the small moments with my family and friends.

This year has been hectic and busy. Last year, my Tarot spreads spoke about getting my health sorted out, about decluttering my many projects, and about letting go of the past. Today, I´m as healthy as I can be, I´ve decided to write a novel, and I let go of yesterday as often as possible.

Such guidelines are understandable and down-to-earth. I always ask my Tarot cards precise questions, and I never use Tarot cards if I´m not feeling well. As with any other magickal work, I only work when I feel fit for it. The results have taught me that.

To me, using Tarot cards is like listening to friendly advice. How I decide to use the advice is depending on my mundane situation. If the Tarot cards speak of inner work, then I often do take the advice into consideration. However, are they speaking of mundane issues, I take it with a grain of salt.

I take the Tarot seriously because of my personal experience with a professional Tarot reader. I tried to live my life after the cards, I tried to do plan against them, anyway, things happened as the cards had said they would.

So I trust my Tarot cards on the part of inner guidance. I often use the results from Tarot spreads to work with my inner shadows in shadow work and vice versa. It is becoming more and more precise the more I practice.

It has taken me three years to learn to work with my Tarot cards. 78 cards demand time and dedication to be fully understood and useful in a daily practice of witchcraft. I have studied them one card at a time, learned the symbols, and worked with the Fool´s journey.

But still, I have to make cross-references all the time because of the complexity of the Tarot. It is an old and refined Craft to learn to work with on a daily basis. Today, I use both physical cards and an app for my cell phone, so I´m always close to my Tarot cards.

I use my cell phone on bad osteoarthritis days and whenever it comes in handy, like e.g. while I´m waiting for a doctor´s appointment. But on major occasions like the festivals of the Wheel of the Year, I use the big deck that I bought many years ago.

The deck has followed me ever since, and I like the feeling of old cards in my hands. And I have future plans about designing and creating my own special deck. But that´s in the future, the next year it is about writing my first novel.

My yearly spreads stress the importance of being as prepared as possible before engaging in such a major project. And equally important is to remember to take the necessary time off to be with my family and friends,

It corresponds well with what I´m already doing. So I have decided to take the advice with me and to do my very best when the writing begins for real from March 1, 2020. The challenge will be to find the time for witchcraft as well as writing.

But I have my daily mini-rituals to turn to, and with careful planning I´m sure it will work out well in the end. I need to have both writing and witchcraft in my life because they make me whole as a human being, as a writer, and as a witch.

The Tarot cards also showed a need for inner shadow work. So that will be my main concern in January where I like the darkness the least. It is suitable, too, for in my novel I´ll be working with the darker shadows of human nature. As I will, so it is.

Next Friday, I´ll show you my witchcraft study plan for 2020. Due to the ongoing work with my novel, I know that I will spend most of my time writing it. In return, I´ll create my own Tarot spreads for the festivals and the celebration of the New and the Full Moon.

Now, I´ll wish you a wonderful weekend filled with both peace and creativity. In less than two hours, my 81-year-old father will be here with us. I can´t wait to give him a big hug and sit and listen to him telling about other eras from long ago.

It took me fifty years to name myself a writer. I´m proud of trying to be one. And I´m grateful that I have both the time and the necessary resources to spend my time writing, It makes me happy to write, and it gives me a life quality that is difficult to describe and show at the same time.

But I dare to try for I cannot resist the temptation to sit down every day to write. It is to kiss the dragon´s tail, it is calming and life-affirming, and it is a true gift. Thank you, dear Ancestors, for leaving such a legacy.

My lifestyle is partly pagan, partly mundane. My lifestyle as a writer is direct, consistent, and dedicated. I take it very seriously and use every opportunity to get behind the keyboard or to grab a pen and paper.

There is always something to write something about. The world is full of opportunities if you only dare to live life in the present moment and enjoy it. Even on the worst possible day, there is always something to say and do.

I don´t preach any particular doctrine, my self-respect is not for sale, and I never back down. What I write about, I know about. I know that change is inevitable in life and that the response to fear is not to run, but to fight back and stand your ground.

To make the best out of everything is my motto. In life, you have to adapt to both fair and unfair terms, Sometimes there are challenges to overcome and learn from. Sometimes there are sweet moments without stress and worries. And sometimes there are both at the same time.

I believe that I might as well try to have a positive outlook and I try to do what I say I will do. I can be brutally honest at times, but I prefer that to any attempt to avoid the truth. I hate lies and what they bring with them to the people involved.

The positive outlook has helped me overcome quite a few direct blows from life. I carry it with me always, for you never know when the shit hits the fan again. Best as you feel sure that nothing else is about to happen, there it comes, just as unexpected as the one before it.

I´m getting used to deal with life as it is. I´m grateful for all my experiences, though. It gives me the inspiration to write stories worth reading. They have all played a part in who I am becoming as a writer and as a human being.

My aim with my writing is to write in a way that will make the readers feel that they are in the middle of a motion picture. It is the genre that thrills me, for a psychological thriller touches all the senses if written well. And I want to touch the readers, to thrill and to entertain.

A small glimpse into my writing world

Today, I´m in my living room with two lit candles, I listen to epic orchestral music, and I´m inspired by the motion picture “The Godfather” that was shown last night on TV. A masterpiece in writing, directing and acting. My favorite motion picture has taught me many things.

I have watched it so many times that I don´t count anymore. And every time there is something new to discover. That´s art, and I love it. The characters, the setting, the plot have an outstanding dramatic effect.

The following two evenings, I´ll be watching the second and the third motion picture in the “Godfather” trilogy. So tonight and tomorrow night, I ´ll take a well-deserved break from my writing adventures and enjoy art when it is best.

A small glimpse into my writing world includes my setup at my writing station. I have my notebooks and pen and paper ready because I write in hand as often as possible for my osteoarthritis. Next to that is my little basket with pens, my calendar and the book that I´m currently reading.

At this time of year, I´m either here or in my creative den, depending on my mood for the day. It is too cold to sit at my permanent writing desk, and I need to arrange better light in my witchy den before I can use it for writing purposes as well.

But in the Spring, I expect to switch between my working stations, depending on what feels best on the day. And of course, to sit outside in the garden and write too is a major goal for me. When the weather is fair, and there are green leaves on the trees.

Until then, I stay inside and allow myself to enjoy this dark season. It is perfect for writing on a daily basis. And day by day, my daily writing routine evolves. Now, it is a perfect daily routine after and between my mundane chores and my work with witchcraft and other creative purposes.

To write has become a daily pleasure that overrules any sign of a bad day. It calms, it soothes, it heals to write. I spend about two hours warming up with emails and interesting blog posts of the day. After that, I begin working with my notes from the day before.

Then, I either write new notes or practice a technique I have studied. And last, but not least, I spend about an hour contemplating the plot for my novel. In the evenings, I always have some notes to rewrite and something to do if there are no plans with family and friends.

So I work a lot, every day. But I also have many days where I can´t work effectively due to pain or other side-effects from ailments and prescription medicine. Then I work with the voice recorder on my cell phone instead. It took some time to adjust to but now it is both practical and fun.

About my new lifestyle as a writer

It is still all so new to me, being a writer, spending countless hours in solitude. But I can´t help loving it all the way. Writing gives me the mental surplus necessary to cope with life´s many challenges. When I´m writing, I feel happy, content, and at home.

Writing reduces my level of anxiety, writing is my favorite tool for coping with my physical and mental ailments, and writing makes my daily life a lot easier. Without it, I would feel lost. For here I can express myself in the best possible way.

I have stories to tell, ideas to evolve, and opinions to discuss. Every day, I wake up happy and ready to work with something I love. To write my first novel is one of the best decisions in my life. Already I have learned so much and tried so many new things.

It is a lifestyle for me now. Now, I can´t imagine life without writing. It is something that I will keep on doing no matter what. Although there is more work to it than expected, it is the perspective of reaching the last sentence with the words the end that hooks me.

I admit it freely, I´m a writing addict. I feel restless when I´m not able to write for a longer period of time. I feel calm again, the moment I´m back behind the keyboard or with a pen in my left hand. So it has become essential to write every day.

But the mundane world and my family and friends come before anything else. Writing is therefore always second to the real world, and it should be. It must never overshadow life in general, so I´m careful to plan my writing so that there is always time for other important matters.

There is also my second passion, witchcraft, to consider. I have daily mini-rituals that I cherish and enjoy for at least twenty minutes every day. It covers my spiritual needs in more ways than I have words to express.

So, I love writing, but it does not overtake my life. My most cherished moments are related to family and friends. However, writing makes me feel that I use my talents for something positive, rather than sitting on the couch all day with nothing to do. Been there, done that.

Being early retired means that I have to do something myself to stay occupied with some kind of work. And why not writing, when I have my way with words, and it makes me mentally alert and happy. So, yes I name myself a writer.

I´m very serious about my writing, If I want to invest time and other resources, I must also be prepared to do the necessary hard work. My deadline for the first draft is December 31, 2020. It should be an attainable goal. I want to give it a try, and I believe that I will reach my goal. So it is.

My writing and reading plans for the remains of the year

My writing plans include the last four blog posts this month, grammar notes, and ideas to the plot of my novel. I prepare for my father´s visit from Friday this week. So I´ll write the blog post for this week and the next in advance.

I have also planned the work for the Christmas holidays, and it is restricted to taking some notes while my father has a rest in the afternoons. That week is dedicated to family time, but my family knows and accepts that I need to write something every day, so I still have an hour or two daily to write.

This way I get to practice how to keep a deadline and write at least 3-500 words daily. And in only fifteen days from now, I´ll be practicing the writing techniques I have studied this fall and winter so far. It is e.g. stream of consciousness, foreshadowing, and the difference between to tell and to show.

Soon also it will be February 2020, where I´ll use the month to plot and outline my novel. After that, it is writing time for real. Then it will a goal every day to write between 3-500 words daily for the novel. There will be some days with less or more than that. But it is my goal to accomplish it.

My reading plans include that I finish “How to write a damn good thriller” by James N. Frey and a novel that has been left alone for a couple of months. It is part of a series of historical fiction, so it takes some time to read through.

Living a writer´s lifestyle is exciting, demanding and fun. There is always something to read and something to write. It never gets boring because I´m my own boss. I write because I can´t resist the temptation to try.

I´m happy and content that I choose to become a writer. I dare to be proud because it is a great pleasure to be one. It is mentally stimulating to write. And the art is to try to make it better after each writing session, to make music out of words, and to make the reader want more.

I get up every morning in the hope of this day to find the right words to write. Some days get pretty close to that but there are also many days where even a single paragraph feels like going uphill. Today has been a little bit of both.

It has been one of the tough pain days, but I have managed to write this blog post anyway. It still hurts like hell, but I don´t mind it today. I´m too inspired, too happy, and too content to worry much about something that I only can change my attitude to.

What´s left for today is to wish you, dear readers, a fantastic week, and to relax to the second motion picture in the “Godfather” trilogy.

Yesterday, we celebrated both the Full Moon and Yule/Winter Solstice. I know it is an early celebration, as the Winter Solstice is first on December 21, 2019. But I decided to perform the ritual a week before because my father will be here next Friday to celebrate the Christmas holidays with us.

I planned the ritual the day before so that I had a couple of hours to set up altars and light the Yule log that my husband has made for me. I also took a ritual bath with a homemade bathing salt consisting of dried sage leaves, Himalaya rock salt, and lemon oil.

It is so refreshing to bathe with. The aroma stays in the bathroom for a long time, and it is easy and cheap to make. I plan to make a recipe notebook when I get the time to it. At the moment, it is mainly daily mini-rituals and the eight major festivals in the Wheel of the Year that I celebrate.

It was also renewing to celebrate the Full Moon. In 2020 I will try to follow the New and the Full Moons, so I plan my spell work around them.

My interpretation of the meaning of Yule

To me, Yule means the rebirth of the Sun, and the Winter Solstice is the first turning point in the Winter season. The shortest day and the longest night of the year are symbolic of the battle between light and darkness.

Where everything is connected, where one cycle replaces another, where there is a natural balance between the two.

Yes, I believe in rebirth, and I celebrate the cycle of the Sun. From December 21, 2019, the Sun will grow powerful and warm us all again to its peak at Litha/the Summer Solstice on June 21, 2020. I watch it happening every year, and this is a happy time.

This is the first breakpoint in the Winter season. From now on, the Winter has to fight with the Sun. And every time the Sun will win. The second breakpoint comes at Imbolc on February 1, 2020. It is the promise of Spring, it is inspiring during the long and dark Winter months, and it is a renewal each time.

To celebrate the light in the midst of darkness is life-affirming. We needed something to celebrate due to the news about my husband´s health. It is never easy to wait for answers. Fortunately, things were as they should be. So we are saved for this time.

My own health is a mixture of the highs and lows in a bipolar mind, of physical ailments and pain, and of the appreciated days without any side effects. My husband made me a healing candle the other day and read the spell aloud himself, too. Yes, he has an active part in my work with witchcraft.

Full Moon and Yule ritual

I called the elements around noon yesterday. I used aromatherapy (geranium) and crystals (moonstone, lapis lazuli, amethyst, clear quartz, and sunstone). There were Full Moon invocation and prayers, and then there was my Yule ritual.

I stood in front of my ritual altar, facing East to great the Sun, with my athame in my raised hand. I read a beautiful poem that welcomed the Sun. And I smudged myself and everything in my den with homemade sage incense.

The Tarot cards spoke of a need for contemplation and finding inner peace by doing shadow work soon again. To me, it means that I need to work a lot with the plot for my novel and that it will be worth the effort to work with my own shadows as well.

The ritual ended with a prayer of gratitude. At this time of year, it is good karma to show gratitude for what the old year brought of experiences and challenges. But I´m also grateful for all the possibilities that follow a fresh new year.

Creating traditions in a rainbow family

When we celebrate the Christmas holidays, we do it as pagans with a touch of childish joy. There is nothing like the joy in a child´s eyes when he or she still believes in the magick of Santa Claus. Christmas Eve is getting a tradition, as it is our second year we are spending it with our neighbors.

To us, the major point is to have a good time together, to eat delicious food and to give gifts to the children. We celebrate throughout December with homemade Christmas decorations, pancake puffs, and often also homemade gifts.

We are not following any traditions but our own. We prioritize quality time where we do things together and enjoy the company of sweet children who are eager to participate. Tomorrow, we will make ornaments for the Christmas tree in our local store, for the children, there are a treat and a meeting with Santa Claus himself in return.

We call ourselves a rainbow family for it is a chosen family, although it´s not in the blood. We like each other and function well together. And we are friends for life. It´s a wonderful privilege to be a part of a family with children, and it feels secure and safe. It feels like coming home.

Celebrating the coming of the light

The Yule log is still on my daily ritual altar and will remain there for the rest of this month. I like the idea of the Sun getting stronger by the day after the Winter Solstice. I always use a lot of candles in the Winter season.

It is my way of celebrating the coming of the light. But I also embrace the darkness for without it there would be no light and vice versa. It is a fragile balance between light and dark, and the core issue is to recognize that nothing is ever one hundred percent black and white.

It is in the shadows that you truly get to know yourself. So this time of year is a time of contemplation and deep inner shadow work, where I touch the sensitive parts as well as the areas of my life that I consider safe.

Nothing is sure in life with the exception of change. I may not be able to change what happens but I can change my attitude toward it. I may have to adapt to unwanted changes but I can choose how I respond to them, how many resources I invest in them, and how I handle the consequences of them.

And so I changed when I invested myself in the Craft. It´s a journey of a lifetime. I´m grateful I chose the path of witchcraft. It is the right path for me. And it has helped me so much since I embarked on this solitary quest.

Life as a writing witch and a witchy writer

The combination of being a witch and a writer is a wonderful experience to try out for real in a mentally cluttered world where everything else is so dreadfully hectic, where the big issue, even in a so-called modern society, still is the dance around the golden calf, and where the majority keep silent.

I often feel overwhelmed after a planned shopping trip. Why does everything have to be done in such a hurry? It is an enigma to me how people can believe that this is the only way to move forward in life. No thank you, please, let me live my simple, yet complicated life exactly as it is.

Living in the moment becomes essential after such stressful experiences

I retreat to my writing as often as I work with witchcraft. I like to combine things and draw on as many different resources as possible. So it is a privilege to write about the things I cherish the most after my health, my family, and my friends.

Therefore it is so important to me that I deliver something worth reading in return.

Witchcraft has given me inner peace and calm, qualities much appreciated here. It has enabled me to learn more about myself than I else would have been able to. It gives me hope, it inspires, it makes me whole as a human being.

It is a way of life, and it is a matter of changing attitudes toward many things in life. Life has become more simple, more understandable, more enchanted with witchcraft and writing.

I´m happy about yesterday´s ritual. Although it was my first ritual in my new year as a witch, it was at the same time the last in the old calendar year. Now there is only my yearly Tarot spreads left to consider, before it is time to plan new things to study in 2020.

Soon it´s family time again

I ´m looking forward to meeting my father again next Friday. In January 2020 he will be eighty-two years old. We live far from each other, so it is always a great joy to be with him. Our time is sacred in that we take the time necessary to talk about life´s many experiences.

The writing and the witchcraft are still here, though. I take also great care of myself, and I need to write daily to be truly happy. So I have saved notes that can be written while at the same time having a good time with my father.

But I have planned ahead, so the blog post for the weeks 51-52 will be written next week. That way I save more time to be with my father without compromising my other needs. I know it will be busy next week, and therefore, I take even more good care of myself than usual.

And here both writing and witchcraft come in handy. I use often writing as an inspirational bait to prevent me from procrastinating, which is a recurring issue at times. And witchcraft helps me balance my life better.

My family and friends know and accept that I´m a combination of a human being, a writer, and a witch. And I can´t wait to celebrate a pagan version of Christmas Eve with them.

Yet there is a whole week to prepare for seven days with my father and our rainbow family. Time is used with care, for we know by experience that things do take more time when a seasonal festival is coming up.

We still need to buy some of the food needed for seven days of treats, and we try to mentally prepare ourselves for the craziness that we meet when we are out shopping. I know there must be time to relax and regain our strength, so Thursday next week is saved for exactly that.

What to expect about this blog in 2020

I have now decided that due to my current project with my novel I will only publish once a week on this blog in 2020. I will also shift between witchcraft and writing as I do today, but it will be one week about witchcraft and the next with writing.

This week, I had to buy a new car, the old car is way too expensive to repair, and therefore my budget for 2020 does not include money for blog purposes. The only exception is the Grammarly upgrade. But, on the other hand, my blog is about the content, not the fancy look.

I will in return re-read my old blog post and update them as I find necessary. There are probably many mistakes to learn from, so I will spend a couple of weeks in January 2020 to overhaul my blog.

Now, I will use the remains of the day to completely relax and do as little as possible for a couple of hours before bedtime. Maybe there is a good movie on the TV, there is room for hope, anyway.

May your weekend be blessed and filled with joy, dear readers. May your life be blessed and filled with life-enriching experiences. May you find soothing inner peace and happiness.

Half-way through my research period, I´m busy studying and learning as much as possible about how to write a novel. My recommendation is to read a lot, especially concerning the genre of the novel. So it is both work and pleasure to read what other writers have done before me,

My notebooks are almost full, yet there is still much to do before I´m truly ready to sit down and do the writing part of my novel. I´m only a few weeks from practicing the techniques I have learned about. And soon it will be time to outline and plot the novel.

My dream has evolved into hard work on a daily basis. But I believe that a good start is half the battle, so I want to be as prepared as possible. I no longer count the hours, and I like my work. It is essential to have the basics in place, and the work can be used for more than one novel.

I´m also reading about psychological thrillers. They can keep the reader in a tight grip if written properly. And they can be both scary and interesting to watch in a motion picture. There are so many possibilities to choose from, and it thrills to the bone if luck strikes and I´m able to do it myself.

I know that I can write well, and I know that I can write my novel in another language than my native Danish. But I have the greatest respect for the writers before me. So I´m also nervous at times. Is my idea strong enough to carry a full-length novel? I believe it is.

It is that belief that keeps me writing and reading every day. The idea is slowly taking shape. My next research adventures are how to create a character-like setting, American English idioms, and the darker sides of human nature.

At the same time, this process is a healing one. I can release a lot of negativity when I´m writing about the darkness in the human light that creates villains and flaws in us all. And after good writing session like today, I always feel relaxed and filled with inner peace.

Even on days where nothing seems to work for me, I´m able to relax. I know that I have done my best for the day. I then finish marking the critical passages for tomorrow´s session. Usually, a good night´s sleep helps clarify a lot of things.

The good part of being in the process of writing a novel is that it keeps me motivated, the more I learn about the craft. The joy of reading other writers´ work is even bigger when you read with their techniques in mind.

The essence of the art of writing is to keep on doing it, no matter what. I will not be stopped by writer´s block anymore is my message to myself that I insist upon daily. There is always something to read and write.

Establishing a daily writing routine

My daily writing routine has evolved from being something I had ideas for but never did into a serious and yet alluring thing. I´m used to hard work, and it is hard to be a writer on some days. It is important to sit down and do the work, but it is equally necessary to leave the work and take reasonable breaks.

Physical exercise is easy with the little wise, old dog who loves to go for a walk.And the mental aspects are easily covered with daily chores and everyday life. Then the writing becomes work but also a mental retreat from the outside world.

I need that retreat, for I have been busy doing anything but save time for writing. Until now, at fifty years of age, now it is finally possible to reserve time for writing without having to compromise other parts of my life.

My writing time is sacred. I listen to music while I write, but I don´t otherwise use the Internet, my cell phone or any other unnecessary gadget. When I write, I´m concentrated on that process and not anything else. It depends, however, on what I´m writing.

When I´m writing notes, I may have the TV on instead of music, because I like to listen to it rather than watching it. When I´m writing outside in the garden, I like the combination of birds singing and the radio playing the latest tunes.

I have several workplaces to choose from. Today, the living room was chosen for I didn´t have then mental surplus to carry my writing gear to my creative den. My osteoarthritis is being mean today so I take good care of myself. I do things more slowly and relax much.

That means that I cannot write more than a thousand words in the blog post today. My hands hurt too much. I hate when it is like this. But there is nothing to do about it other than recording my thoughts and ideas with the sound recorder on my cell phone.

I plan my workday from the status of my ailments in the mornings. And I plan, knowing that there will be days like this. Therefore, I have a goal of only a thousand words per writing session. I´m thrilled when I achieve more than that. But I only use word counting to warm up, so to speak.

It is the content that matters in the end. And I would rather write less than I would deliver something below my best. Today is not a bad day besides the pain in my hands, and then there is more time to read. Currently, I´m reading three different books about writing.

So work will be done like every other day, just not the typing part. Next Monday I´ll write about my lifestyle as a writer to give you a glimpse into how my writing world looks and feels like. May your week be creative and positive, dear readers.

Today, it is often difficult to adapt to the demands of modern society. We need to convey ourselves as perfect as possible, for every sign of different behavior is frowned upon as weaknesses and too much individuality.

Have you noticed how many people, in general, tend to run after the latest trend in style and outer appearance? Have you stopped up and just listened to what people are saying? Have you thought about why a rising number of people turn from the conventions and try to develop their own?

Maybe it is due to the unwritten rules of society where everybody must fit in at any cost to not be ridiculed or mocked by someone who always knows better no matter what. It is especially tough to be different on social media, where the tolerance level is zero.

Besides the annoying follow-me trends, it is getting more and more boring to live as everybody else seems to be doing these years. Why does everything have to be done so perfectly, and who has set these rules anyway?

Oh yes, those who want to make big money, they know the game. They set the rules by pumping unnecessary and expensive gadgets into a stuffed market where the general population is running around as blind chickens in a game they have lost before they even begin.

During this time of year, it is especially discouraging to look at other people´s behavior. There is nothing wrong with the Christian celebrations of Christmas. But what is the message of Christmas? Is it about spending way too much money on presents? I think not.

In my country, we have easy access to fast money from many new loan companies and banks. But the bills have to be paid next month, and then we have the show with money worries and divorces afterward. At the same time, it is a grim misuse of resources for the no other reason than surpass last year´s spending. We celebrate Christmas here for the sake of the neighbor´s children only.

But we don´t have a budget to spend like crazy, and we don´t bend to unwritten rules of behavior. We have chosen to live our own life. We have chosen a pagan lifestyle. We have chosen to be ourselves. And it is our best decision ever.

We create our own traditions in our chosen rainbow family and don´t follow the latest trends. Even though we had the money, we would still not follow any unwritten rules about spending like everybody else.

We have everything we need and much more than we think we have. It is a conscious choice to live a pagan lifestyle. It makes things so much easier, it makes us happy, and it makes life a much greater joy than it was before this.

A choice for the rest of my life

The choice to become a witch was easy. I have seen what I wanted, I have heard my melody. The modern world is too hectic, too much, too crazy. I lost my beautiful classic car to a joyride for someone to enjoy three years ago.

I lost my ability to provide for myself at the age of 41. I had to do something other than to sit on my couch all day. And besides writing, witchcraft has been a life-changing choice. I have not forgotten anything, but I have learned the lesson about forgiveness.

To forgive is perhaps not the easiest choice to make. But it sure helps and heals. Witchcraft helps me learn to forgive for it makes me happy, it gives me inner peace, it affects my mental health positively, and it makes me want to be kind.

Letting go of what no longer serves me is a great way of getting rid of negativity in general. To forgive is to let go of the past and focus on the present moment. The only moment we humans can truly embrace, for the past is a constant, and the future is unknown territory.

It is an active choice where you do exactly what you say you will. There is no hidden agenda here. Things are out in the open, no matter how difficult an issue can be. And you learn soon that we take great care of each other in our little rainbow family.

It is also a choice for the rest of my life. 50 years old means business, it is so much easier to decide what you want and what you say no to. The art of saying no for the right reasons is tricky to learn, especially in a modern society where you are expected to say yes no matter what.

So, I say no to modern consumerism, quirky ideas of impossible imperfection, and weighing everything in money terms. Money is a necessary means to survive today. But money shouldn´t be the only issue worth fighting for, should it?

And I say yes to witchcraft as my pagan lifestyle. That doesn´t mean disrespect to other beliefs, but this is mine. It has meant a notable difference in my life. My mental health has never been better, and it relaxes my mind, body, and soul.

I was tired of many things three years ago on Samhain Eve, October 31, 2016. My world broke down, it took me a couple of years to recover. Today, I feel differently. Now, it is possible to live well with the scars from life´s many experiences.

Witchcraft and living a pagan lifestyle has changed my outlook on many things. But it has most of all taught me how to find happiness on a strict budget and with a big mixture of memories and feelings. It has given me inner peace, which to me is essential in being happy. Happiness is to live peacefully.

Everyday magick

It is in everyday life that I find most of my magick. The miracle of following a plant from seed to flower is as much magick as is the smile from my husband whenever our eyes meet. It is pure magick to walk with the little wise, old dog and to hear the three philosophical cats purr after their dinner.

It is in the little things that we share on a daily basis. Witchcraft enhances natural magick by using the senses to interpret life as it is. The beauty is in its simplicity. With only a few tools and small, daily mini-rituals, there is always witchcraft in our lives here.

Of course, there are also bigger festivals when all the good stuff is put on the altars. Newt week we celebrate Yule a little earlier than we use to. My 81-year-old father comes for the Christmas holidays, and we have only seven days together.

More would be too much for both of us, and therefore, we use time wisely. When we are together, we chat about the old times, about our loved ones gone before us to the Rainbow Bridge, about life. I will also write the blog posts the week before so there is as much time as possible.

I have several daily mini-rituals that I use depending on my mood and the resources available. Today, it is only two lit tea candles in the window sill in my creative den. The weather makes a contrasting setting, as it drizzles and the wind is rather harsh.

Musical magick in my ears, coffee ready to be taken in, a walk with the little wise, old dog and a new dog friend to get to know. Everything is magick at this moment, as I sit here behind the keyboard and try to write about my pagan lifestyle.

It all depends on how you perceive the concept of magick. Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, it is said. But I think it is beautiful in every sense of the word that we are so lucky to have a life to live, no matter how tough the terms may be.

The key to my happiness lies in small things in life, things that are often taken for granted in this hectic, modern world of ours. The way my husband sighs in his afternoon sleep. The way my little wise, old dog wags and smiles his love to me. And the way I feel when I have a philosophical cat at my side.

Right now, my youngest cat, Milo, lies next to my laptop with a single paw following my fingers dance across the keyboard. He is always playful and sweet, and today he chose to help me write this blog post.

As the weather worsens, so do we withdraw to our living room. We have a big house, so we practically live there most of the winter season to save money on the central heating bill. We need to go shopping for a few daily necessities, but the weather has also magick to it.

It is all about choosing the right clothes for the journey and then to take a deep breath and go for it. And when it is all over, we will be happy that we did it. It is always refreshing to experience the elements roaring around us.

This weekend I´m hosting a seven-year-old and and three-year-old, both girls in the age where everything is yet exciting and new. So I´ll be busy and probably very tired afterward, too. There is also a Yule ritual to prepare and care for.

But it is the kind of magick that I´m writing about. Down-to-earth and simple and easy to adapt to a stressful modern world is my kind of witchcraft. That way I know I get to use my tools and ritual gear on a daily basis rather than occasionally at the bigger festivals.

Living a pagan lifestyle is easy. It is a choice, and I know what I´m choosing not to have in my life anymore. Negativity has no common ground here. I also say goodbye to modern stress and to keep on buying for the sake of buying.

When I occasionally go out to more than my local shop, I´m always extremely tired and used up for that day. I plan my shopping with great care. I only buy what I can afford, and I don´t like to lend money.

Living a pagan lifestyle on a budget is a privilege, and I´m grateful for every day of my life. I have everything I need, and I don´t need the latest gadget or to adapt to the newest trend whatsoever. Life is just easier without all that plastic and frankly spoken loads of crap that are sold way too expensive.

It is freedom not to feel a need to run after the same things as everybody else. It is freedom to choose one´s own lifestyle with care for Nature. And it is freedom not to have to depend on the terms of others. For that. I´m very, very grateful.

In my next blog post about witchcraft, I´ll try to show you how we celebrate the festival of Yule and the Winter Solstice. From December 21, 2019, the Sun will grow more and more powerful, and the darkness will retreat to its cave.

It is a joyful time of year. We are already celebrating some of the Christian Christmas traditions with the children next door. To me, the Christmas holidays are for family reunions and cozy times talking and having fun together.

Christmas is about spending valuable time together, not about how much money we spend on presents and accessories. The message from Christmas was originally about hope for humanity. I don´t see how today´s craziness in the shops reflects that. But then again. I´m pagan.

May you have a great weekend, dear readers. Now it is time to relax and enjoy life as it is.

Never has a phone call been more welcome. My husband is well, no serious challenges to face, only to live life to its fullest.

Thank you, dear Universe.

Sitting in an old creaky chair in my creative den an icy cold Monday morning, I´m contemplating how it will be to plan my novel in early spring 2020. I´m preparing myself, my family and my friends for a unique journey in which things will run fast across the keyboard.

On Black Friday of all days possible, I found five simple A4 notebooks. They are for my novel, for the handwritten parts of it, for countless hours of equal parts of fun and fear. The joy of writing versus the fear of not being good enough is my cross to bear as a writer and as a human being.

It all began with four simple sentences that soon became an idea, many notes, and half a page with dialog. Before I knew of it, I just felt that I had to do this. For I have stories to tell, I want to write the novel I have always wanted to write.

Now that the journey is ongoing, it is like steering a ship on the loose in a sea of turmoil. It is hard work, but I can´t help but love to do it. I admit frankly that I´m a writing addict, and it is becoming more and more obvious in my daily life.

I can´t wait to get a pen and paper or the keyboard in the mornings, I always carry a notebook with me wherever I go, and I´m always on the lookout for snappy dialog and relevant conflicts. Form early morning to late evening, you can find me writing on something.

I´m sharpening my tools, preparing for a whole year with almost endless possibilities. It is a true privilege to be able to put aside 365 days for one´s favorite activity. Without any other deadlines than my own, which is December 31, 2020.

Planning a novel also means re-arranging your plans as the main idea develops. I´ve bought a corkboard that will be my storyboard when I begin to plot for real in February 2020. Right now, I have a short outline of my story, but I´m not ready to work with the outlining process just yet.

I need to finish my notes, to practice the techniques I´ve studied, and to attain as much knowledge as possible about psychological thrillers. I want to be well-equipped before I embark on the second part of this long journey, the drafting period from March 1, 2020.

And then life happens in between writing and contemplating. Tomorrow, we are going to the hospital with my husband for some answers that we need to the questions we don´t dare to ask. It has been two weeks with the kind of ticking clock that nobody wants near.

I will consecrate a healing candle for my husband tonight accompanied by a prayer of release. It is a long time to wait for answers, and I´m grateful it is over by tomorrow. We´ve been through hell, my husband and I.

From general to detailed research

Day by day, I work my way through the vast territory of writing a psychological thriller. I just finished my general research. Now it is time for the details, the setting, the techniques behind it all. My ring binder filled with notes will also contain maps, drawings of scenes, and lists with plot twists.

My plans also include upgrading my free version of Grammarly, as I find it extremely helpful in my daily writing. I´m currently studying American English grammar, and I know that I make some mistakes here on this blog. I´ll try to be as correct as possible, the more I learn.

But as with everything else, my budget needs to balance, so I´ll buy tthe upgrade from March 1, 2020, where I begin writing the first draft for my novel. In the meantime, I´ll do my best not to make too many silly mistakes here.

This sugary sweet Christmas season is in no way matched by the plot in my novel. A psychological thriller needs to thrill the reader on the edge of the seat. That and nothing less is what awaits me in the new year.

I believe that if what I write is scaring me, then there should be a chance that it will scare the readers too. And I´m writing about what scares me the most. That is the way we humans treat each other psychologically when the shit hits the fan, pardon my French.

I have experienced enough for a lifetime with other human beings, in high as well as low places, for better or for worse. But nevertheless, humans never stop to amaze me. We´re busy enough taking care of physical violence, but with it psychological counterpart, we act like cowards.

Take e.g. mocking at the workplace, where many unfortunately have to work together with a psychologically mean boss who can spread an intolerable atmosphere. It should be considered much more serious to treat people like shit, just because you can get away with it.

I have personally experienced domestic violence, where the main issue was psychological warfare. It took me several years to recover from a narcissistic and very little man. Today, I´m married to a wonderful and sweet man who treats me with love and respect.

In my younger days, life took place in the fast lane much of the time. So I´ve seen and heard what I need to create thrills in a novel. But I will not use my direct experiences without filter, for there is no need to involve other people than the characters in my novel.

On the contrary, my characters are fictional persons with no reference to any living or dead souls. They act in a fictional world that could be real, however. For daily around the world, there are people getting seriously hurt by psychological violence.

And we should handle it much better than today. The consequences are as severe as physical violence, if not even worse some times.

From endless puzzle to drafting a novel

These past two months have been hectic and interesting. I´ve learned so much from other writers and I´m beginning to realize the size of my work in progress (WIP). There is yet so much to learn and to test out, but soon there will be a whole month to practice it all.

At the moment, it seems like an endless puzzle to solve. But is is the best challenge that I have ever taken up. It feels so right to write that novel now at this time of my life where I have every possible chance to create something worth reading.

Now, it´s late afternoon, and the winter darkness it lit up by my husband´s outdoor Christmas tree. He was so happy decorating it Saturday afternoon, and it is kind of cozy to have it standing right outside my windows to my creative den.

On my table are some of my many notes, a couple of books, and my writing gear to carry around the house (and the garden when spring arrives). It is like piecing together a giant puzzle where you don´t know the end of it yet.

I think of making cards for my storyboard with short character sketches, notes about setting and mood, and scene lists. I think it is a good idea to use a storyboard to get an overview of the novel structure on the way towards writing it. That way it is easier to move things around if necessary.

It will also be a welcome change to be creative in more than one way. To be creative while writing the novel is essential to me since I enjoy being creative in everything I do. And everybody needs a break from time to time.

Today, I´ve taken quite a few breaks. My osteoarthritis is irritating and won´t leave me in peace, so I take extra breaks instead of more prescription medicine. The worst part is when it hurts my hands, so it is painful to write in hand or to make creative projects.

Then, I admit, I may speak a few not so nice words and thunder at the Universe for some time. But it won´t take the pain away, so I only speak of pain when it is a bad pain day indeed. As it is today where it has been almost impossible for me to feel warm, although I have the central heating on.

I have also taken into consideration that I have some mental and physical ailments that might require a day off once in a while. Therefore, I have put aside nine months for my drafting period, so that there should be plenty of time to write the first draft of my novel.

Next Monday, the process continues to the writing part. I can´t help it, little by little I have begun writing down snippets that I hope to evolve during 2020. So Mote It Be.

Thoughts about blogging in 2020

Concerning the blogging part of my writing, I consider only writing one blog post per week. I will let you know soon, dear readers, what I decide to do, but this is a very possible scenario. I need time to write 4-500 words per day for my novel.

And until I know whether I´m able to write that on a regular basis, there must be a certain amount of elasticity in running a blog, too. I have decided, however, not to assign any money to the blog, for the time being, the reason being that the budget is not for both this and the Grammarly upgrade.

We live in expensive times and prioritizing a budget before anything else has never been more necessary than now. It is so easy to go out and spend a lot of money on something so uncertain as to the succes or failure of a blog.

But I believe that my readers read this blog because they like what I write. And to me, the main focus must always be on the content rather than the wrapping of a blog. Quite frankly, I think that many out there seriously need to look closely at their prices versus their offered services.

There are no guarantees in this world or in anyone else that buying a lot of extras will help propel the blog more forward than hard work and engaged determination. And I´m not a gambler with any kind of money, especially not the money for the extras that make the blogging life money-oriented.

It´s all about money so many other places today that I believe it is necessary to calm down a lot. We cannot keep spending and consuming as we do today. It´s the wrong signal to send while the Earth is fighting for its and our lives because of our way of misusing its resources.

No, things need to change, and the only way they do that is when we each decide to do something different than we do today. Here we re-purpose everything possible to re-purpose, we sort our garbage, and we choose carefully before we buy anything other than daily necessities.

I´m not dependent on having a blog as an income source, and throughout my life, I´ve learned the hard way that there isn´t any easy money on the loose anywhere. Success demands hard work and strong-willed concentration.

Besides, I´m not running a blog to become rich. I´m content with my life as it is now, and I would rather live on a strict budget than would I loan money to spend on unnecessary items that so many others seem to be doing in the country I live in. No, being debt-free is freedom to care deeply for.

It is getting close to dinner time, so I´ll wish you a creative week, dear readers. I hope that your projects will be successful, and I send you all the positive energy I have to give. May your dreams turn into reality.