Whew!! I have been busy, y’all! End of a stressful, albeit successful school year, a successful, albeit somewhat daunting, writers’ conference at Brevard College, a daunting, albeit wonderful ten-day trip to Germany to see my brother and his family, two days of recovery, and I am ready to settle into the rest of my summer.

One issue  nine-month faculty members consistently face is how to handle the glorious three-month sabbatical that they receive each year. Here in the South, we laugh and tell the old joke–What are the three best things about teaching?  June, July and August. According to my daughter, however, I don’t know how to enjoy those halcyon days of summer. I can’t stop thinking about teaching, even when I need to be thinking about my writing, and most importantly, refueling my body, mind and spirit with reading, studying (for fun), and above all, spending time with my family and friends. Somewhere in there I need to do housework, too. Oh, I forgot–cataract surgery on both eyes in June and July.

That old plate just keeps getting full–just like dinner on the grounds at a Southern Baptist church homecoming. So, I have a plan. Let’s see if I can stick to it this year and practice what I preach to my students about time management. Maybe writing it down on this blog will help me hold myself accountable.

Here are the primary objectives (in order of importance):

1. Spend quality time with family and friends
2. Prepare for cataract surgery and rest afterwards
3. Finish rough draft of the new play–Death or Love?
4. Finish the rough draft of the novel–Flood
5. Write blog post at least twice a month and work on Teach. Write. 

 

 

Speaking of Teach. Write. Submissions are now open (until August 1) for the fall 2018 edition. If you have ever taught English composition at any level, then please consider submitting fiction, non-fiction, poetry or drama. You can find complete submission guidelines here. I would love to see your work!