end of #JusJoJan26

I don’t have enough brain to manage Stream of Consciousness Saturday this time, but I will do a final Just Jot It January post.

I’m relieved to have made it through the month posting every day. I wish I could say that I will continue to do so but I know that I can’t manage it. I’ve also got a bunch more medical tests and appointments coming up in February, for which I’m grateful, but they also take time and energy.

Sending thanks to Linda for convening Just Jot It January once again and to the blogging community participants who have contributed prompts and posts to the effort. I’m honored to be in your (virtual) company.

And, as always, thanks to all of you who took time to visit Top of JC’s Mind. Leisure time and attention are in short supply for many of us and I appreciate your including me in your day or evening.

(Even though, it’s the final day, you can still join in the fun of Just Jot It January. Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2026/01/30/the-friday-reminder-for-socs-jusjojan-2026-daily-prompt-for-jan-31st/.)

prompts or not

Linda and the Just Jot It January blogging community kindly provide daily prompts to help people generate posts.

And I often go off and do my own thing…

Today, though, the prompt is “prompt” so I’m going with it.

I had hoped to write a post in my occasional JC’s Confessions series but that will take a lot of brainpower that I don’t have today. I’ve had a couple of medical appointments this week that need follow-up of various kinds and I’m struggling with some pain issues, not helped by the very cold weather we are having this week.

So, thank you, Linda and everyone, for the prompt today.

Write on!
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To find out more about how to join Just Jot It January, visit here: https://lindaghill.com/2026/01/29/daily-prompt-jusjojan-the-29th-2026/

One-Liner Wednesday: snow

We only got about a foot so can’t compete with Linda’s One-Liner Wednesday photo, but click on the link to check it out – and to join in with One-Liner Wednesday and/or Just Jot It January.

#JusJoJan26

Well, now that we are a third of the way through January, I’m finally getting around to thanking Linda for, once again, offering Just Jot It January.

The basic framework is to start the new year off by posting every day in January. There are daily prompts to assist people, although I most often do my own thing.

One of the things that I particularly enjoy about Just Jot It January is its flexible design. You can join at any time with a post of any length or even just a captioned photo. All you need to do is put in a pingback to that day’s prompt post on Linda’s blog if you blog on WordPress or put the link to your post in the comment section if you blog on a different platform.

The idea is that other participating bloggers will see your link and have the opportunity to visit your blog. I’ve found many blogs to follow through Just Jot It January and it’s great to reinforce my sense of belonging to a blogging community as the new year begins.

While the goal is to participate every day in January, it is not a requirement to participate. Even if you only do one January post, you can join in the fun!

Just visit Linda’s blog to get started: https://lindaghill.com/2026/01/11/daily-prompt-jusjojan-the-11th-2026/

One-Liner Wednesday: Thanksgiving

As we here in the United States are preparing to celebrate Thanksgiving tomorrow, I’m giving thanks for all the people who visit my blog, especially those who have stuck with me despite my irregular posting as I deal with personal and family health issues. ❤

Join us for Linda’s One-Liner Wednesdays! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2025/11/26/one-liner-wednesday-what-did-you-do-yesterday/. Also, congratulate Linda on the publication of her new book, which came out yesterday!

(almost) the end of Just Jot It January ’24

Whew! Launching into the last written post of Linda’s Just Jot It January ’24! There is one more day in January, but I’ll be posting a quote tomorrow for One-Liner Wednesday, which means no running on about things.

Thanks once again to author Linda G. Hill of Life in Progress for offering this opportunity to get the blogging year off to a good start by posting every day in January.

I’m grateful to have met this challenge again this year, although I can’t carry this posting pace into the rest of the months. I’m planning to spend a lot of time through mid-April revising my full-length poetry collection in preparation for work with a professional editor, which will probably be followed by another round of revisions before a decision point on next steps toward publication. I should probably also devote some time to doing single poem submissions. I tend to be diligent about that for a bit and then fall off the wagon and go for a few months without putting work out to journals and presses. The places that are still actively considering my work have dwindled so I guess it’s time to get back on that.

Thanks also to the other Just Jot It January bloggers and readers. I appreciate having a blogging community for support and inspiration.

Write on – in whatever way works best for you – and let’s all meet up at Linda’s for Just Jot It January ’25! Don’t forget, though, that Linda coordinates One-Liner Wednesdays and Stream of Consciousness Saturdays year-round. While I don’t manage those every week, I do them often so I hope to meet you there sometimes, too.
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You can find out more about Just Jot It January and join in here: https://lindaghill.com/2024/01/30/daily-prompt-jusjojan-the-30th-2024/

Just Jot It January ’24

For the tenth time, Linda G. Hill of Life in Progress is hosting Just Jot It January! She invites all bloggers to participate in the challenge to post every day in January and link back to her blog so we can easily find participants’ posts. The rules, though, are flexible, so you may join in whenever you like with whatever you like (although there are some extra precautions to take if your post is not G-rated). Linda will be posting prompts but their use is optional. I tend to do my own thing, unless a certain prompt really strikes me. Others (the vast majority) faithfully use the prompts for their posts.

Thanks, Linda, for the opportunity to welcome the new year with daily posts! Come, All, and join the fun!

JusJoJan: the end

So, it’s late afternoon on January 31st and I’m just getting the chance to write my final post for Linda’s Just Jot It January.

Linda’s prompt for today is “write” and my original intent had been to write about the end of Just Jot It January, so two birds with one stone.

I had been trying for the month to prepare my posts a day ahead in order to get them out in the morning, but I didn’t manage it today. I didn’t even check my blog this morning, as I had decided to do some more work on the final layout for my chapbook manuscript, Hearts, to send to Kelsay Books, my publisher.

Of course, I got distracted and wound up sending out a submission of three ekphrastic poems for a contest, which meant writing a more-involved-than-usual cover letter. (I did get some manuscript work done, too.)

I also wound up contributing to a couple of “poetry business” email threads, one for the Grapevine Poets and one for the Boiler House Poets Collective.

I wrote a birthday card and note to a friend – longhand and everything!

And now, finally, this post.

I am happy and relieved to have managed to post every day this month for #JusJoJan. I wrote more “heavy” posts than I intended, but it’s been that kind of month.

I’m not planning to post every day in February, though.

I need to spend some time on other projects and to get ready for a trip to the UK to visit our family there.

That should generate a few posts…
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I hope you’ve enjoyed Linda’s Just Jot It January. Thanks so much, Linda, for making it possible! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2023/01/31/daily-prompt-jusjojan-the-31st-2023/

Welcome to Just Jot It January!

So, it’s January first and time for Linda’s Just Jot It January!

I’ll be trying to participate by posting each day in January, linking to Linda’s daily posts. The rules are very flexible and bloggers can join in at any time. Whether you post every day or just once, it’s an opportunity to get your posts out to more people.

While Linda will post prompts, I tend to do my own thing most of the time. Maybe, I will manage to work through my backlog of post ideas that never quite made it out of my head. Maybe, I will resort to posting some of my older poems that I have only shared by link to the original publication.

I’m hoping that #JusJoJan will give me some incentive to get more posts out to you, as I’ve been feeling too distracted and/or lethargic to write as much as I ought.

So, Happy New Year and welcome to Just Jot It January!
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Visit Linda’s blog for links to other January 1 posts: https://lindaghill.com/2023/01/01/daily-prompt-jusjojan-the-1st-2023/