Hello, October

How is it October already? It seems like just yesterday I was writing my Hello, September. post and getting excited about all I was going to get done this fall. Time flew last month. It really did.

And I’m pretty proud of all the things I checked off of my list, too. I set out to submit short stories, finish going through and organizing everything I own, start reviewing books on this blog, increase blog readership, and think more about the Etsy shop that I want to start this fall. And I absolutely did all of those things, even if it was on a smaller scale.

I started my book review series — From My Shelves — with the Harry Potter series. I did organize quite a bit more, though I still have some to do. I made a list of all the “leftover junk” I needed to go through and actually finished that list. I also got some comments on the blog and page views went up a tiny bit, so we’ll call that success too. AND I submitted two short stories and a short essay.

I really wanted to start working on my novel again, or at least, just pick it up and start reading it in September. In order to achieve that goal, Saturday I actually sat down and read my first few chapters, which is the first step to actually writing, I think.

So for October — I’ve got a lot of lofty goals. I am not giving myself any more excuses when it comes to my novel. Which means, I’ll need to pick it up and start writing again this month. I also want to go through a few more things to organize — mostly photographs and other sentimental items. And I’m going to rearrange my room and redecorate, just a bit.

I absolutely need to try harder when it comes to freelancing this month. I know I can be successful at it but I just haven’t tried. I also want to open an Etsy store this fall, as aforementioned. Which means I’m going to be creating a lot of things this month, and I’m kind of excited about it. And, just like in September, I’m going to try to grow this writing/blogging/talking community as much as I can.

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One more thing. This post has been hard to write after the terrorist attack that took place in Las Vegas last night. I am heartbroken and lost and feeling horrified about the state of our country. But I came to this conclusion a little while ago. It is important for us to live our lives. Maybe we can’t move beyond the fear (I know that I cannot) but we can move through it, despite it. The people that commit these acts want nothing more than for us to lay down and be terrified to live our lives. Today I want to say that I will not lay down. I will not stop advocating for gun control, and I will not stop living my life, because we have to keep going for those that have been lost. We have to live because they can’t. Part of living my normal life today meant writing about the upcoming month. So I did it.

We have to move forward towards a better future. Call your senator. Go about your life as normally as you are able to. Take time off from the news and social media if you need it. Take care of yourself and, most importantly, keep going.

If you want to know more about the gun problem in the United States, I highly suggest reading Gun violence in America, explained in 17 maps and charts. 

And,  please do not forget about Puerto Rico. Donate to the Hispanic Federation’s Unidos Fund or elsewhere. It takes minutes and it makes all of the difference.

I hope that your month is a good one. Keep going. Keep writing. Keep talking.

Thanks for stopping by.