Blog

Writing Exercise: New Year New Habits, Old Goals 2026

Erin Penn Leave a comment

Photo by BoliviaInteligente on Unsplash

Happy New Year

2025 flips to 2026 and another year in which you are going to work on your writing.

That’s fine. Reconcentrate after the craziness of December. For me, I lost all of November to my mom being in the hospital then in rebhab after breaking her hip in a fall. December, she was healthy enough for visits (though we are still going to a physical therapist three times a week), so we had rolling visitors all month for which we were preparing, having, then cleaning up to redo the whole thing over again the next week with another group. And I had edits. Writing has not been possible, but I did manage to finish my BIPoC reading goal of the year.

Now it’s time to return to the keyboard. Butt in Chair, Hands on Keyboard – BICHOK.

Today’s writing exercise is figuring out what do you want to accomplish this year.

WRITING EXERCISE: Reading, Writing, Submission, Social Media, Socialization, and Convention goals. Write yours down and record those you want to share in the comments. Keep the rest somewhere nearby.

My Attempt

One) Reading Goals  (A) BIPoC reads. I want to do 24 books again this year. It is a reasonable goal and I have been able to make it for three years running. It is about 20% of my reads. These are verifiable BIPoC reads; often with immigrant or latino reads, verifying isn’t easy or possible. (B) Book Clubs – I am part of two book clubs. One specializes in recent (5 years or less) genre fiction and often introduces me to books I wouldn’t have found on my own, but I am, generally, interested in. The National Public Radio book club in Waco is called Likely Stories and reads random books reviewed on the radio station by listeners. It is random and REALLY introduces me to books I would never have read. – Both goals for (A) and (B) make me read outside my comfort zone and explore new authors constantly.

What are you doing to look beyond your normal reading interests?

Hmm. The big change from normal is previous years I made a habit of reading writing books, but this past year I only read one. I think I should make a challenge over on Storygraph of reading twelve books for bookcrafting. Goal (C). The Storygraph challenges will be the BIPoC and the Writing Books.

A bonus goal is actually creating some of those book reviews for my NPR book club. Six will be a reasonable challenge I think. (D) Six Likely Reads Book Reviews.

Two) Writing – Editing took over the writing last year, as did yardwork and readjusting to living at home. This year goals  are (A) writing at least one blog per day; (B) writing at least one short story a month; and (C) writing at least 500 real words per day, not just words on emails and the like. Will I do it all? Unlikely. I keep making this goal and failing, but maybe, like the reading, I can figure out a way to make the goals happen. I’ve done good for months at a time so it isn’t impossible, just unlikely.

Three) Submission – I cannot control if a book or short story will be published, BUT if I don’t finish and submit, it won’t happen. (A) I need to submit the followup short story for my superhero story which appeared in “A Funny Thing Happened On the Way To P-Con” for the 2026 anthology. (B) I would like to submit to two of the Ranconteur anthologies. (C) I would like to publish another 20k (at least) book; “Honestly” is getting lonely out there.  (D)Bonus points, get a novella or short novel published by Falstaff’s Crush line. 

Four) Social Media – I have fun (A) making daily TikTok bookquotes (or embroidery drops; (B) transferring them to YouTube; (C) making memes (at least 50 this year) on bookquotes; (D) maintaining this blog; (E) (the likely books review mentioned under reading) (F) Bonus point: start a substack.

Five) Socialization – I have two book clubs (as mentioned under the reading goals) but I don’t have a club or regular writing group outside of that. I was thinking I would need to create one since Waco didn’t have one, but the Hewitt Library System is starting one in January and it will meet twice a month. I hope it will keep me honest. So (A) book clubs and (B) writer group. I also have (C) an embroidery group. These are my social lifelines. Do not skimp on having a support system outside of your family.

Six) Conventions – My goal every year is to go to at least three writer conventions. I need to sit down and make plans for this.

Seven) Publication – This is something I don’t have control over (mostly), but (A) Bonus: Publish a novel either by myself or with someone else.

I have marked a revisit to these goals for April’s 5th Thursday blog.

Other questions include do I want to participate in the A-to-Z in April or do Novel November?

 

Embroidery: Christmas Ornaments

Erin Penn Leave a comment

I am clearing out my embroidery stash. This is going to be a LONG-TERM project. The easy start on the UFOs (unfinished objects) and Stash-Babies waiting to be touched is the Christmas ornaments. I am taking pictures nightly as I work on them. I usually have about an hour a night (more like 1 and a quarter hours, because there is always “ONE MORE STITCH”). Non-screen time is important to get to sleep once you lay down, and this gives me an hour of no glowing screens before bedtime.

HO-HO-HO (7/9/2025-7/12/2025) – total time about 5 hours: Starting on 7/9/2025, I break out a kit for “Ho-Ho-Ho” and a Christmas stocking.

On 7/10/2025, I asked myself why am I working on only one kit? I got three sets of this bugger. May as well knock all of them out at the same time so I can take advantage of minor memorization of the pattern. Three kits in process now; 7/11/2025 – Get the final cross-stitch done for the pattern and start working on the outline stitch in black. No, I don’t know what colors these are exactly as the kit provides everything; 7/12/2025 – Get the backstitch complete and all the stupid French knots – one for each of the Ho’s, nine total.

 

Stockings (7/13/2025-7/17/2025) – total time about 13.5 hours: 7/13/2025 – Time to start the stockings. First off is the white and blue of the top of the stocking. 7/14/2025 Get the little part of the cane sticking out of the top of the stocking. 7/15/2025 – Add the holly sprig (two shades of green) and get the dark red of the stocking providing shading down so I know the shape of the stocking.

7/16/2025 – Meeting night, an hour of sitting and listening and waiting, plus the normal hour gets the stockings green heel and toes complete and most of the stocking done. I still need to put the white lines on the heel and toes, the yellow dots on the stocking, and, of course, the black outline plus the bell with it’s stupid French knot. 7/17/2025 – Another meeting night, this time two hours. Plus final touches when I get home. AND DONE! (Well, there is still putting them into the ornament, but I need to finish all of them first.)

        

For Santa (7/18/2025-7/20/2025)  – total time about 2.5 hours: 7/18/2025 – Next up, a For Santa and Santa Claus pairing. I only have two of these kits. Start working on the milk first. Hardly visible against the Aida cloth until the outline is started.

           

7/19/2025 – Must put the writing in because I don’t want to risk the long counting to get things in position and have them wrong. Writing out Santa lets me know where the red highlights go and where the cookie starts. 7/20/2025 – Final night of finishing For Santa with the backstitch, and get a slight jump on the next two.

   

Santa Claus (7/20/2025-7/26/2025) – total time about 6.5 hours: (see 7/20/2025 above) 7/21/2025 – Get Santa’s rosy cheeks done and the bottom fur of his cap.  7/22/2025 – Get the V of his color done, the holly spring on his hat and the gold bell. 7/23/2025 – White on white for Santa’s beard isn’t easy, even with the light blue for shading.

         

7/24/2025 – The cross stitch is done. Now to start doing the outline. 7/25/2025 – So, I did the bell in the wrong place which I discovered outlineing the first one. I ripped out the bell on the other and redid it (I wasn’t reworking the outlineing – that is a PAIN – so I left the first as-is. I mean, yeah, tearing out cross-stitch is always a pain, but I chose the level of self-infliction of only fixing one of the two.) 7/26/2025 – Backstitch complete and the French knots are worked. All the Christmas Ornaments are done.

         

In my embroidery stash are other ornaments. A Love Bug, an Umbrella Duck, and two Frogs.  May as well continue the clearing of the stash. Only one of each of these, so it should be much faster. Oh, during the first one, I discovered they don’t use embroidery floss (where you normally separate out two parts); these are just straight up single cords. But easier and harder. Not sure I like the feel of this thread.

Love Bug (7/27/2025-7/28/2025) 2.5 hours: First picture to show the one package. Each comes with instructions (on the back of the picture), a pack of threads, a needle, a display holder and a sticky back for presentation. 7/27/2025 – First photo, nearly forgot to take a picture to start!. 7/27/2025 – That is because of burnout. I completed an edit, third down on it and I powered through eight-hours solid for the final day. I am establishing the new normal of one hour embroidery and one hour of reading before bed. Tonight I am NOT up to reading anything, so I do two hours of embroidery getting most of the Love Bug complete. 7/28/2025 – Finishing the writing took hardly any time, onward to the Umbrella Duck!

        

Umbrella Duck (7/28/2025-7/29/2025) 1.5 hours: (7/28/2025 see above) 7/29/2025 – The Umbrella Duck is quick with virtually no backstitch.

Flower Frog (7/30/2025-8/1/2025) – 3 hours: 7/30/2025 – First photo is a picture of the two kits. The Flower Fog & the My Pad Frog. 7/30/2025 – Flower Frog has a LOT of green cross-stitch to do. 7/31/2025 – The green face is complete, next up is the pink cheeks and the pink petals for the flower.

       

8/1/2025 – All the rest of the details take hardly any time at all.

My Pad Frog (8/2/2025) – 2 hours: 8/2/2025 – Brain insisted on taking a vacation so two hours on the embroidery that evening and the final decoration is complete.

Assembly (8/3/2025) – 3 to 4 hours: Big breath. Time to do the assembly. This is a big step for me because it involves cutting the material after the embroidery is done. No going back if you screw up the cutting!

First picture is getting everything together (about half an hour getting together and laying it out). – Second picture is matching the frames and the back support to the projects. – Third picture is after two hours of putting on the back adhesives (need to position perfectly), cutting (oh the cutting), and inserting into the frame. Does it look good? Now another deep breath, and then put Elmer’s glue around the edge on the back so they don’t pop out.

       

Fourth picture, wait hour and flip over! – Fifth picture, ho-ho-ho and stockings are complete, except I seem to have lost one of the frames (in the 30 years) since I bought them. – Sixth picture – For Santa and Santa Claus ornaments complete.

       

And the traditional decorations – Love Bug, Umbrella Duck, Flower Frog, and My Pad Frog all are done.

          

Finally, the Cardinal. I finished this piece of embroidery three decades ago, but never put it in the frame. I had never framed anything before at that point and it was so beautiful. The concept of gluing the aida cloth to some random piece of cardboard (unlike the other decorations, this one did not come with a self-adhesive piece), cutting the aida in a circle, the very opposite of how the fabric is made, and then gluing all of that to the frame, and it still has no way to attach to anything!?! The whole thing was beyond me. I am very proud of finally making this complete. Now, I just need to figure out how to hang or display this piece.

Writing Exercise: 50-Word Prompts 2025

Erin Penn Leave a comment

WRITING EXERCISE

Merry Christmas or holiday of lights of your choice. Time for the December 50-word prompts writing exercise.

Quick reminder of the rules: Write a flash for each picture. Aim for 50 words, give or take five extra words. Don’t read my attempts until after you do your own. Writing them directly in the comment section below will help you focus on the flash aspect – just getting words out.

TEXT PROMPT: Achievement

VISUAL PROMPT:

Image from Unsplash

My attempts

Text Prompt: Achievement. I crossed the border, the unseen demarcation between undone and complete. Uncounted days learning the skill, honing it, mastering it, and now, finally, done. Pen to paper, letter after letter carefully formed. Dyslexia would always be my nemesis, but I finally can write my name clearly. (46 words; first published 12/30/2025)

Visual Prompt
Name. Gender. Marital status. Race. Address. Income. Each answer is a lie on some level, but the form needs filling if you are to have food to fill your belly.

Education. Does a GED count as High School or not? The jobs you’ve applied to don’t seem to think so. (50 words; first published 12/30/2025)

Series: 50-word Prompts

    1. Prompts 1& 5 (2/19/2017)
    2. Prompts 6 & 12 (2/26/2017)
    3. Prompts 7, 8, 10, 11 (3/19/2017)
    4. Prompts (The Mouse Roars) (3/26/2017)
    5. 50-word prompts 2018 (12/25/2018)
    6. 50-word prompts 2019 (8/27/2019)
    7. 50-word prompts 2020 (12/22/2020)
    8. 50-word prompts 2021 (12/28/2021)
    9. 50-word prompts 2022 (12/17/2022)
    10. 50-word prompts 2023 (12/26/2023)
    11. 50-word prompts 2024 (12/24/2024)
    12. 50-word prompts 2025 (12/25/2025)

Flash: He is Going to Be a Problem

Erin Penn Leave a comment

Photo by Yulia Matvienko on Unsplash

I was curled up at the bus stop, collar high and hat low, angling a shoulder to block the wind determined to turn the page before I had finished reading it. I know, Jack Frost, that this is the exciting part, but let us slow humans read at our own pace, when someone else spoke…

“You would look more friendly if you smiled.”

The voice was masculine; shocker, I know.

Don’t engage. I tell myself. Don’t look up. Don’t engage. The bus will be here in four pages.

I glanced up, moving as little as I could. Nammy, a regular on the route, sat next to me on the side of the shelter where the plexiglass was still unbroken. She’s older, gray-hair and cane-for-balance level, and I insisted. Luis and Mateo leaned against the back, two latchkey middle-schoolers, their caregivers long-gone to their first jobs of the week. The speaker dressed better than any of us and was white, like me, and had about five years on my early twenties age.

He rode the bus every Sunday afternoon, arriving at ten and leaving at three. “Timothy Gordon,” he had told me in the past when I needed to go somewhere on a Sunday afternoon and no one else was in the bus shelter for me to use as a barrier.

I knew more about him than the mouth diarrhea he shits over me when I’m hostage to the bus schedule. Stuff he regurgitates like his condo, his boss, his office, a professional convention is meaningless to me. I know the important stuff, that his grandmother, who raised him, lived in 12973 on the fourth floor with two other widows to pay the rent. She appeared a lot less white than him, but she was proud of his schooling and being a banker.

Why he hadn’t taken her away from here, False Tree Slums, was everyone’s gossip. Theories ranged from kind to cruel. But what matters is at the end of the day he didn’t live here anymore and she did.

Me, I’m here, despite my skin color lacking the appropriate levels of melanin, because I’m moving up the social strata, not down like most people assume. I was lower than slum housing once I had turned eighteen, being released from the foster care/orphanage system without a penny to my name and a GED worth less than the paper it was printed on. Having shelter at night without selling, stealing, or hiding made the last eight months the best of my life, despite sharing a bathroom with five people.

It was Monday. Morning. I would be on my feet and smiling all day. I only had time to read 23 more pages before clocking in. And he shouldn’t be here.

I hope Ms. Vargas was okay; that he hadn’t had to stay overnight because she was sick.

“I’m not friendly.”

Why did I engage? Maybe picking up the double-shift on Saturday where everyone told me dozens of helpful hints of how to plan for the holidays, where they were in the process, wishing everyone their best life for the season of joy pushed me over the edge. Those people I can’t say anything to.

“Just a little smile.” He gave me a brief half-smile. “Come on, just a little.”

Nammy eyes flicked between him and me, but she knew better than to get between two whities. The boys behind pretended not to pay attention, but this would be one of the thousand examples in their head feeding how men and women should behave together. Those in power can demand behavior out of the weaker. What they will be allowed to do to the women in their lives.

Don’t engage.

I scanned him up and down, snorted, and returned to reading.

“Look bitch!”

The black woman and the two Hispanic boys froze around me. The silence after his words released the screech of the bus turning down sixteenth street, the last street before the Tree streets making up False Trees: Oak, Elm, Birch, Pine, Spruce, and Walnut. Streets where only the garbage men of city services risked travel.

Should I engage, apologize? Make the rest of the people here feel safer? He was a regular, had been a native.

I stood, tightened the coat I picked up last Wednesday when I had been able to go winter clothes “shopping” on Riverside Ward trash day. I didn’t get many weekdays off, since the university kids and high schoolers and adults working a part-time job got nearly all the weekends, but every one of those became “shopping” days thanks to a quick search of city-wide trash days and a universal bus pass.

Looking him right in the eye, I kept my face stoic, before turning to Nammy and giving her a gentle smile, “Need help, today?” The boys got the hint and came around the bench to get in line for the bus to take them to school.

I watched them corral Timothy to the front of the line, them staying just outside the slush slash zone. The water splooshed over the business man’s shiny shoes.

I guess they decided which side of power they wanted to be on today. Tomorrow might be different; they were still young.

He cursed and hopped back as the bus door opened. Glaring behind him, at the kids, at me, and, unjustly, at Nammy, he stomped on the bus. The boys clambered after him, then Nammy carefully lifted herself on the bus one step at a time. I brought up the rear, flashing my bus pass over the scanner and giving the bus driver a social smile.

The only open seat had Timothy’s glowing white face smirking at me. I grabbed the handle over Nammy and turned to face front.

(word 962, first published 12/23/2025)