Jan's August Writing Challenge is back!

Jan's August Writing Challenge: Write something every day in the month of August.

Sounds tough! What do I have to do?
Write. Something. Anything. Any length. Prose or poetry. Every day. For a month. And share it.

Sounds cool! How do I sign up?
Join the august_writing community if you're not already a member
Link to this post in your LJ so that we can get as many people involved as possible
Post either your writing, or a link to your writing to the community every day in August, starting on Wednesday, August 1st, 2008.

Sounds simple! Are there any other rules?
Nope. Well, not really. It has to be creative writing - prose or poetry, of any any length, on any subject. Stuff you would normally be writing anyway counts (so, for those who write serials, that counts) but stuff you write for your job doesn't. But it can be anything. Short fiction, short-short fiction, essays, character studies, stream-of-consciousness, writing exercises (I post a different writing exercise every day during the month of August for anyone who would like to use it), sections of a larger work you have in progress, etc. Anything at all, so long as it's a piece of writing that you did that day. It would also be really cool if you could read and comment on a couple of other posts every day.

+++

Phnee here: because ai731 is moving at the very end of August, she has asked me to be one of two co-moderators for this year, exceptionally. The other moderator will be announced in due course, once it's confirmed. I am honoured and very excited to be taking up her mantle, however temporarily, and I can only hope to deliver the same energy and devotion as she has all these years.

So I hope that all the writers on my flist will join us once again (or for the first time) and flex their creative muscles this coming August!

Mindful Living

Okay, flist.

Tell me how you live mindfully. (If applicable, that is.) What is your definition/notion/interpretation of mindful living? Explain, please. :)

Return of Pepe Le Pew

I've been keeping my bicycle in the back shed for the past ten days or so (nearly two weeks now), and hitting the street via the lane that runs behind the house. Last night was no exception. I installed my pannier, affixed my helmet, turned on my flashing lights, and headed out into the lane. I passed by what looked like a spiky potted plant to my right, when to my surprise the potted plant hissed at me and swished around in a nonexistent breeze.

I didn't fall off my bicycle, but did a double-take nonetheless, stopping a few feet away. By then, my astounding reasoning faculties had figured out that it was an animal and not a potted plant, and probably a skunk by the colouring. What I had seen was the white on the skunk's tail (highlighted by the white light on the front of my bicycle), held straight up in the air, giving the illusion (to me) of foliage. The skunk, underwhelmed by my interruption of its routine, huffed at me and stamped its front feet, but by then I was too far away for it to do any real damage. After a moment it turned and went on its way, and I did the same, feeling better about my whole evening. I don't know what it is about seeing wildlife, but it makes me unreasonably happy.

I don't know if it's the same skunk I encountered a couple of months ago, but it was a fun little chance encounter nonetheless. A close call, too. I'm just glad I didn't end up going to work reeking of skunk spray.