I had another deep Waldo insight this week as I was researching the author and origins of the series on the internet. It really is quite fascinating but Cam says maybe I should keep my personal problems to myself which is pretty good advice. I will try to restrain myself.*
Instead, I will say that at the library we have also been checking out James Marshall’s GEORGE AND MARTHA books. Have you read them? I love them. I know some people probably hate them. I love them. They are funny and weird and each book has five stories which makes the boys feel like we’re reading a big book with chapters.
Today I am going to relate one of the stories as motivation for the upcoming writing marathon. Please, take this to heart.
George has a sweet tooth.
Martha is worried about George and tells him to please stop eating so many sweets.
George says he’ll be fine. He’s under control.
Martha decides she needs to get serious so she starts smoking. Like cigars. Big fat cigars (this is such a precious childrens picture book).
George is shocked. Why are you doing this?
She says she’s fine. She’s under control.
George says please stop.
She says she’s fine, the smoke billowing all over the illustration.
Then he says, Please, please, why are you doing this?
Then she says, will you stop eating sweets?
He said, yes. and he did.
Isn’t that inspirational? Doesn’t that tell you a thing or two about how to motivate a loved one?
Now for the marathon, how can we motivate each other? I have a problem where I make promises/goals to myself (write a page a day, write 1000 words a day, write 19 minutes a day, think about writing sometime during the day, etc.) and then I don’t do it. I need someone I love to start smoking cigars or some other destructive behavior and then threaten not to stop unless I write 500 words a day.
Who volunteers? What can we do to push ourselves? Should we post our marathon hopes and then post the results? Have a post marathon party for everyone who reaches their goal? Partner up and email each other throughout the marathon? Send each other a prize if we make it to the finish line? What do you think?
I don’t have a sitter those days so my writing will have to happen at night. I’m trying to clear my schedule so that I can actually get a good chunk of a revision done. I hope.
What are you doing to prepare?
*Or maybe not. We’ll see how I feel next week.
Throwing Up Words 
Ha! I love George and Martha, too. And I love the animated versions with Nathan Lane’s voice for George. So perfect.
Great post. Hmmm….I’d send someone a prize if they finished their goal (I’m pretty crafty…anyone up for a crafty trinket swap?)
I love George and Martha, too.
I haven’t set my goals for the marathon yet. I should do that.
I adore George and Martha. And I think they were kinda like the first Prez and his wife. Both sets VERY wonderful and inspirational. And pretty darn funny, too.
Ann Dee–I will start taking heavy drugs and drinking lots of alcohol.
Or wait. I’ll drink some tea.
No, wait. I did that on accident last night.
Drugs.
Alcohol.
No ciggies, they make your breath smell.
Something else.
I will have lots of sex with way cute guys. Lots of guys. Nights full. Hmmm.
I’m sure I can think of something to get you writing.
Gosh, I may be so busy that I have no time to write at all.
Scratch my goal from yesterday.
My new goal is to help you reach YOUR goal, Ann Dee.
Lots of sex? Mom what in the world are you talking about?
I’m going to do the marathon, too. And when I succeed I’m going to find a man for mom to have lots of sex with. . .I mean a cute guy. Not man. No one likes old men.
Anyway. . .I don’t think my comment has any relevance to the entire post.
I loved George and Martha.
I was going to write something earlier about some naughty thing I would do if you, Ann Dee, didn’t meet your goal. But CLEARLY it would’ve whithered next to Carol’s naughty enforcement anyway. Epic fail for me – again.
Notice Ann Dee hasn’t said a word about the naughtiness her post caused.
Once again, SHE is to blame.
How about there will be NO sex unless we meet our goals? That strikes me as being a bit more motivational on all fronts.
LOL! That’s a great idea!
I will tell everyone about the skirt-tucked-into-the-underwear incidents. Yes, I know it happened more than once. >:)
As for motivation for the rest of us, I vote for a post-marathon party. Involving chocolate. And pizza. And bookish conversation. And then more chocolate.
Urrrr did I say a word about sex? I think not. I limited myself to lung cancer.
Hahahaha!
BTW–I keep trying to post today’s piece and it won’t let me.
ANNDEE (all caps is so fun), I will draw you a cute little panda bear on a post-it note every time you reach those writing goals. I will go out and buy a brand new pack of any color you like. What do you think?! I will even use a matching colored pen so that it is pretty. So much better than cigars and alcohol and drugs and naughtiness!
Really, I could draw everyone who wins a tiny panda bear if they reach their goal. But they only get one each.
My goal: I want to have 25,000 new words written by the end of the 9th for my current novel. I HAVE to get it finished (at least the first draft) before WIFYR or I will die of embarrassment forever. So much to do, so little time!
Melissa, I want you to draw me some cute little animal with colors and sign it for me!?! And then you can give it to me in June, and I will be very happy. Yay for happiness! Panda’s are cute, but I like foxes. Love the fluffy tail.
Sure! Foxes are easy. I will draw you a fox and give it to you at the conference. 🙂
…IF you meet whatever goal you set.