Muses

Persevere. The year of Odysseus not Sisyphus.

My writing style is simple.

So coming up with one word for 2016 should be a can of corn.

But it’s not been. No. That’s not right. I don’t like the word that seems so obvious.

Persevere.

As in to persevere writing a novel that will sell 10 copies.

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A killjoy.

Who wants that? But as I’ve noodled it the first few days of January, that is the word that remains.

I’m at mid-life and in the middle of so many things. In-the-middle is a place where momentum dies.

In the third quarter of a football game. In-the-middle of a novel that started so rip roaring. In-the-middle of taking down Christmas decorations. In-the-middle of sex. Just wanted to see if you were paying attention.

In-the-middle, we need to persevere.

What a downer. Persevere evokes images of Pilgrims, monks toiling over documents in damp and dark monasteries. Parents of infants. Parents of toddlers. Parents of teenagers. Paying off debt. Training for marathons.

But that’s what I want to do for 2016.

I’m a dreamer. A contemplative. I can take my thoughts out to play in-the-middle of the day and 45 minutes have passed. Sure I’ve folded laundry, made a bed or two but if I want things done well, I’ve got to buckle down and focus. Whether it’s cleaning up my garden, writing my daily word count or straightening the house in half the time. Persevere with my children. Helping them with school work.

I tried to think of more positive sounding words.

Alas, I found that every word that didn’t conjure up thoughts of Captain Ahab, Odysseus or the Bill Murray character in Groundhog’s Day was a phrase with more than one word.

Keep going. Press on. Go for it. Stay the course. Stick with it. Go for broke.

There were a few single words synonyms suggested by Thesaurus.com, such as:

Endure: Terrible. Worse than persevere. Makes me think of 365 days living as a vampire or worse . . . a zombie. I like to eat to way much to be a zombie for 365 days. And I’m not changing my diet.

Persist: Not bad. But at least persevere evokes feeling of pain. Persist is just existing — heart beating, lungs breathing — and your body functioning in a directed effort.  MEH.

Continue, Remain, Maintain: Blah, blah and double blah.

No.

Persevere is there because that’s the word that helps me get out of bed at 4:45 to have my quiet time and hopefully write.

Persevere pops into my head when I’ve researched and written a bit for two hours but only have 255 words. A commitment to persevere helps keep my rear in the chair and keeps me writing.

Yes. Even when I look up definitions, Persevere aligns with my goals for the year.

  • To try to do or continue doing something in a determined way, despite difficulties.
  • To persist in or remain constant to a purpose, idea, or task in the face of obstacles or discouragement.

The Oxford Dictionary had a different spin: Continue in a course of action even in the face of difficulty or with little or no prospect of success.

What’s up with the little or no prospect of success? That’s Sisyphus not Odysseus. Sisyphus, of Greek Mythology Bed Time Stories fame, was made to roll a boulder up a steep hill only to have the rock tumble back down to the bottom — he did this forever. No. I’m not going to be cranking out 500 or more words a day only to face a blank page again the next morning for all eternity.

Odysseus did finally get home. Okay. It took a while. Years. And he had to battle Trojans, shipwrecks and one-eyed giants. I’m cool with that.

I will persevere in my daily encounters with Cyclops and shipwrecks.

I will laugh lots. And have moments of gratitude and great joy.

I will persevere and have the first draft of my novel done by April first. I will persevere and have the edits done. I will persevere with the agenting process. And persevere with starting my next book when nothing is happening to the first.

No way around it.

Persevere in 2016.

Woot.

Any thoughts on your word for 2016? Anymore Persevere-heads out there?

Linking up with the Finish the Sentence Friday game found over at the wondrous Finding Ninee. 

           

           

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