tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16768953635703829072024-03-05T17:31:48.903-08:00Stepping Stonesmy life, with a large dose of writerly goodness thrown in.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1676895363570382907.post-17269028504770216592012-10-03T10:03:00.000-07:002012-10-03T10:03:23.597-07:00And Now for Something Completely Different - Part TwoHi everyone! It's been a loooong while since I've checked in here! Summer was crazy.....but lovely at the same time. Kelowna had a gorgeous summer with lots of hot hot days, just the way I like it. It always goes by so fast, though, and before I knew it fall was here.
My daughter left for Spain in September to be an au pair for eight months. My middle son is graduating this year and the youngestUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1676895363570382907.post-66413037356791330762012-05-18T09:39:00.000-07:002012-05-18T09:39:14.798-07:00By The SeaI'm on a little excursion this weekend. I've been wanting to visit my Mom, who lives in Chemainus, for ages, and things kept getting in the way. Now that I'm feeling better (yay antibiotics!) and had a free weekend, I hopped in my truck and headed to the coast.
There's nothing I like better than getting to the ocean. I really miss it. Yes, Kelowna has a beautiful lake, but it's just not the sameUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1676895363570382907.post-10377286676862799312012-05-07T12:03:00.001-07:002012-05-07T12:03:15.385-07:00Doctors and Fevers and Chills, Oh My....If you read my previous post about being sick, you'll be interested to know that I Am. Still. Sick.
The doctors don't think I've contracted pneumonia, however my body and my research on the internet (which is enough to scare the pants off anyone, do you agree?) tells me differently. So today, I'm off to see Doctor #3. Considering I can hardly pull myself off the couch, this should be interesting.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1676895363570382907.post-4043548635039393012012-05-03T10:21:00.001-07:002012-05-03T10:22:28.663-07:00The War of ArtI have a new favourite book these days. It's called The War of Art, by Steven Pressfield. He starts out the book with this statement:
'Most of us have two lives. The life we live, and the unlived life within us. Between the two stands Resistance.'
He goes on to explain the concept of Resistance as the force that keeps us living in the mediocre - the treadmill we never use, the career we never Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1676895363570382907.post-73641871422649478292012-05-01T10:30:00.001-07:002012-05-01T10:30:25.978-07:00Sickness and Other StuffIt's been just over a week since I've been home from the Banff Writer's Workshop Workshop on Steroids. Last week, I gave myself permission to relax, process, and recover. I didn't have any expectations on my writing, exercising, or cooking. This week, however, I planned to re-enter life with a whiz-bang. Resume my running schedule, cook some healthy meals, and crack at my WIP with renewed Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1676895363570382907.post-79135002250802570682012-04-27T12:49:00.000-07:002012-04-27T12:55:08.229-07:00Factoid FridayHey, it's Friday! I love Friday. It holds all the promise of the weekend, and, for someone who is all about fun, this is a good thing.
I've decided to add a regular feature on Fridays. As you can tell by the title, it's .... Factoid Friday!
Why? Because I like how it sounds. And also because factoids are fun. In case you're not sure of what a factoid is (I had to look it up) here's the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1676895363570382907.post-36199369772114632692012-04-25T19:22:00.001-07:002012-04-25T19:23:58.947-07:00Trust Yourself...I've been home from Banff for three days, and I'm still exhausted! All that creative intensity was crazy. I'm just starting to process everything - what I learned, who I met, where I go from here.
One thing that stands out today is something I've been focused on for a couple of months. It's a life lesson that sounds very cliche, very over used, and yet it's so, so important.
Trust Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1676895363570382907.post-15123862571712200142012-04-18T22:57:00.000-07:002012-04-18T22:57:54.829-07:00Banff BeautyThought I'd share a few photos of the incredible place that is the Banff Centre. I'd write more, but I'm honestly spent from all the writerly goodness going around and don't have any more words to spare. Cheers!
they have outdoor concerts here with up to 2,000 people in the summer.
one of the newer buildings, this one houses the library and meeting rooms
view from the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1676895363570382907.post-8431191285814088422012-04-17T16:47:00.003-07:002012-04-17T16:47:49.323-07:00Writerly HeavenI'm at the Banff Centre for a week, participating in the Writing With Style program. A friend of mine came here last year and raved about it, so I sent off my application and got accepted into the First Chapter, Novel workshop.
First off, let me say that checking out of my life for a whole week NEVER happens. Sure, I've gone on vacations (aaah, Italy, how I miss you!) but always with someone Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1676895363570382907.post-85558730913850961592012-04-15T12:47:00.000-07:002012-04-15T12:47:49.510-07:00And Now For Something Completely Different...I've been thinking a lot about this blog and where I want it to go, if anywhere. I've been attempting to create an industry blog, because that's what I thought I should be doing. (I have a bad habit of 'shoulding' on myself, I'm working on it....) However, the more I tried, the less I found I had to say. Hence the long, vapid gaps between posts. This left me questioning whether I was on the rightUnknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1676895363570382907.post-51510912792488705922011-11-01T21:06:00.000-07:002011-11-01T21:14:39.984-07:00Yup, I'm Back......Yes, it's true, I'm back!!! Okay, I know, it's been a LOOOONG time since I've posted. Let the flogging ensue. However, I have been legitimately busy. Here's my list of excuses:
1. Daughter graduated.
2. Because I signed up for After Grad Duty, I was also busy arranging a kick-ass party for said daughter and her grad class (can anyone say fire dancers and bonfires??)
3. Sent daughter to India forUnknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1676895363570382907.post-3079171003291218642011-03-25T09:38:00.000-07:002012-04-15T08:11:27.615-07:00I Need A Dose Of Literary FibreI am shamefully negligent when it comes to posting on my blog. I faithfully read other blogs every day and get inspired and encouraged. Yet, when it comes to my own, I let it wither, just like the plant my Mom gave me for Christmas. It sits in a corner, all dry and sad, just waiting for me to notice it and give it some attention. Oops!
So, my new goal is to become more regular in posting here.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1676895363570382907.post-33089786211301434862011-02-01T11:13:00.000-08:002012-04-15T08:11:55.790-07:00The Lonely World of RevisionsI've been hiding away in my writing hole for the last month, working hard on revisions to my WIP. Early in December, I had the opportunity to have it read and critiqued by a professional editor. With much fear and trembling, I waited through Christmas and New Years for his reply. When it finally came in early January, I was thrilled to receive ten pages of notes on his thoughts. Wow, ten pages!
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1676895363570382907.post-35274872036285230902010-12-03T11:50:00.000-08:002010-12-03T11:53:39.019-08:00Critique Is Not A Four Letter WordI haven't posted in a while and I have a good excuse reason. It's called editing! No, really, I'm sure if I forced myself I could come up with something to say, but I've been too busy trying not to get sucked into a black hole these days. Editing is not my favorite thing to do!
After my third round of ripping, tearing and shredding, I sent my wip over to a couple of trusted people to critique Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1676895363570382907.post-63592658539581753872010-06-16T11:59:00.000-07:002010-06-16T12:00:29.941-07:00Writing The Hard Stuff'I want hard stories, I demand them from myself. Hard stories are worth the difficulty. It seems to me the only way I have forgiven anything, understood anything, is through that process of opening up to my own terror and pain and re-examining it, re-creating it in the story, and making it something different, making it meaningful - even if the meaning is only in the act of the telling.'
This isUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1676895363570382907.post-62566538923222427252010-06-02T12:02:00.000-07:002010-06-02T12:02:26.726-07:00And Now the Real Work Begins....Well, not really.
Writing the first draft was a lot of work. It's just that, in hindsight,
it was a lot more fun than what I'm doing now.
Editing.
And more editing.
I knew this stage was going to be difficult, but, really. I had no idea.
I know that all first drafts are crappy. I was expecting that.
What I wasn't expecting was how hard it was going to be to rip my baby to shreds. Tear itsUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1676895363570382907.post-15858085071113654822010-03-12T13:03:00.001-08:002010-03-12T16:44:46.558-08:00CompletionThere are two little words in the English language that are elusive and ironic. These words represent a goal met, a dream realized. And yet at the same time they symbolize a beginning. What are these words?THE END.I wrote these words for the very first time a week ago. For me, typing those words on the screen and seeing them, in all their black and white reality, felt very surreal. It was a day IUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1676895363570382907.post-9585158897753327652010-03-10T14:51:00.001-08:002010-03-10T14:55:17.605-08:00WebinarHey all you writers! I will be attending a webinar tomorrow at 10am at the Writers Digest website. The presenter is Rachelle Gardner, a literary agent. It is titled 'How Do Agents and Editors Decide?' and she will be discussing why some projects get picked out of the pile by agents and editors while most do not. It sounds like a great and informative talk and I can't wait! If you want to check itUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1676895363570382907.post-47220180961538048772010-02-01T19:05:00.000-08:002010-02-01T19:11:19.762-08:00I Need A Few More Crabs Under My Rock...I have been thinking a lot lately about the writing process and what would make it better. The writers' life is a solitary one, to be sure, and that's just fine with me. I like to be alone; I need to be alone in order to re-charge that creative part of me. However too much time alone is not good either. I find myself becoming isolated and unsure of myself, and a wee bit depressed. So, this week IUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1676895363570382907.post-65614264718667315992010-01-26T08:41:00.000-08:002010-01-26T09:02:25.479-08:00Out From Under The RockWow. It's been a while since I've been here. Sorry about that. It's just that I've been a little busy. Yup, that's right. I've been.....writing! Actual, every day, disciplined writing. Between 1,000 and 2,000 words every day. Except Sunday. Which means the novel is moving along quite nicely. I'm about two thirds finished. I can't believe it! I'm on the homestretch! Well, for the writing part. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1676895363570382907.post-74354787927698230742009-11-03T11:23:00.000-08:002009-11-03T11:33:44.780-08:00Discipline. Whoopee.I haven't had much to say here lately. Truth is, the reality of writing a book is much different than the idea of it. No surprise there, you say? Probably true. However, now that I am definitely on my way (48 pages, yahoo!!) I am realizing that the nuts and bolts of the thing is way bigger than I thought. Writing is a discipline. It doesn't matter if I feel inspired, or creative, or even remotelyUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1676895363570382907.post-48937856566048643122009-10-15T10:45:00.000-07:002009-10-15T10:57:09.748-07:00Tapping AwayWell things are going pretty good over here in book land. I'm getting in to my groove, hitting my stride, making progress. Twenty one pages so far. When I look back on the last couple of weeks I am happy to see that I am getting consistent in writing every day. And if I don't write, I at least re-read what I wrote and do a bit of research. So, that's all good. I must say, however, that every Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1676895363570382907.post-52062471308636888722009-10-06T12:24:00.000-07:002009-10-06T12:36:08.267-07:00A Day of FirstsThat elusive 'first'. First book, first line, first page.....Why is the first line always so hard to write? The intimidating blank screen (or page), the cold sweat that begins at the thought of starting something new. Will it be good enough? Is it right? As Walter Mosley says in his book 'This Year You Write Your Novel', "probably the highest hurdle for the novice novelist (and many seasoned Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1676895363570382907.post-22782679016814540932009-10-05T10:52:00.000-07:002009-10-05T11:00:07.327-07:00Research!I have been doing research for about a month now in preparation for writing the book. I love research! This is something new I've learned about myself in the past few years. When I started my interior design business I began poring over magazines, websites etc. and really enjoyed digging up facts and knowledge, whether it was finding out what a 'ghost' chair is or learning about the latest Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1676895363570382907.post-53631984767214181552009-10-02T11:35:00.001-07:002009-10-02T11:54:10.692-07:00Deep Breath, And.....Well, this is it. My big leap of faith. I have been writing since I was a child. I used to sit in the basement with my older sister and my cousin on summer holidays and we would write stories together. For hours. I remember the stories we wrote always had to have a tragic element to them; girl goes blind, boy dies, girl gets diptheria, etc. Even back then I had a dark side. As I grew up I Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1