Dear Reader,

a small sign of an electronic pigeon pecking at the ground with cars going past

And that was nearly all she wrote ~ a mere two words after five months of silence on WordPress and my computer just up and froze. It was a little tempting to leave things there for another five months but no, I’m still here trying to figure out what I want to say. Which is kind of the point of this post ~ to inform you that I am still here but that I have what I like to call blog fatigue.

This is not to say that I have been suffering from blog fatigue. Quite the opposite. Taking a break from thinking in headlines, editing images and tracking down interesting quotes has been bliss. Life on the other side of blogging has been a healthy mix of exhibiting at art shows, playing music and writing songs, catching up with friends and eating more than my fair share of homemade pizza.

I had been posting here fairly regularly since March 2012 and so it really was time to rediscover what life is like away from the social media treadmill. I also haven’t been on Insta since they changed from the square format to the not square format (which I do not like).

As far as returning to some sort of blogging schedule, I am undecided. 

Pause.

Can you believe that I wrote that out loud and… nothing happened? WordPress didn’t cancel me. The lights are still on and the birds are still singing. Yes, blog fatigue is a real thing and I have it. Happily. I will no doubt make appearances online here and there from time to time. Also happily. But for now, I think I’ll just see what it’s like in the real world for a while longer.

a small sign of an electronic pigeon pecking at the ground with cars going past

The Collected Works

My Top Nine six-word stories ~ my favourites selected from a grand total of 134 word+art posts created last year for Instagram which, in turn, came from 365 stories created using the Page Flutter word prompts. For those who may be interested, I’ve gathered all of my word+art stories into a collection on Pinterest

What a fantastic and rewarding challenge this has been! And even though I won’t be carrying on with a daily writing challenge in 2019, I do plan to make good use of my six-word stories. But more about that in my next post : )

The punch line (word prompts)

These six-word stories were prompted by the Page Flutter Six-Word Story Challenge. I’m also posting some of my favourites on Instagram.

24. He saw the punch line coming.

25. The visitor’s much-anticipated arrival didn’t disappoint.

26. “Happy Boxing Day, pizza delivery guy!”

27. Some bygones simply refused to go.

28. Glory days, they’ll pass you by.

29. Enduring dreams demanded brave new plans.

30. A blank page needs only time.

[December prompts: pinnacle, the visitor, Boxing Day, bygones, past glory, new plans, blank page]

All I want for Christmas (word prompts)

A very happy Christmas and New Year to all : )

These six-word stories were prompted by the Page Flutter Six-Word Story Challenge. I’m also posting some of my favourites on Instagram.

17. They migrated to leave summer behind.  [Christmas without snow didn’t seem right]

18. Best Christmas romance: naughty and nice.

19. Grandma’s recipe smudged and became indigestible.

20. You’re all I want for Christmas.  [and I’m not just saying that]

21. Open your eyes, my sentimental friend.

22. Peace on Earth. Goodwill to all.

23. Whoever ordered the cookie-gram… Thank you! : )

[December prompts: snowy flight, Christmas romance, Grandma’s recipe, please, Santa, nostalgia, peace, cookie-gram]

Beyond the final page (word prompts)

These six-word stories were prompted by the Page Flutter Six-Word Story Challenge. The background is an excerpt from a letter to my teenage self written in 2012. If you’re interested in reading it, you can find it here.

10. December? The year’s almost wrapped up!

11. Stories continue beyond the final page.

12. Failures are necessary. Defeat is optional.

13. Small victories are not always enough.

14. Years past flickered like December lights.

15. The merrymakers were corralled for carolling.

16. Kissing underneath mistletoe smacks of myth-information.

[December prompts: wrapped, final page, failures, victories, years past, carolling, mistletoe]