I love blog posts about nothing, they seem so decadent, like champagne and strawberries, or thick dark chocolate. Mmmmm. Now I want a hot fudge sundae. But no, I'm on a diet so I will be strong. *grin* Have to fit into my conference clothes. If I turn up in the black pantsuit I was successful with the weight loss, if it's the brown, okay well that's my fat suit. Pretty soon I'll be known as that gal from California who wears the brown pantsuit.
I chose "nothing" as my subject tonight because that's what I've got, zip, nada, nothing. It's been a quiet month, but a good one. I just finished up the manuscript I'd been working on. It feels good. Not the most spectacular thing ever, but good and solid. I like it. It's about witches and ghosts and old curses on land and a couple of innocents falling in love through the manipulations of the coven. Highly unlikely but hey, it's my story and I'm sticking to it.
This week we have the LARA chapter workshop. It should be fun and informative. I've made the goodie bags, have a huge box of new books donated that we'll put into them, plus all kinds of promotional goodies. I made book thongs out of hemp (they're cute bookmarks in case you don't know) and threaded pretty glass beads and other things onto either end. A fun project. I'm kind of craft challenged, mainly because I can't see to thread a needle, but this time I used hemp and it was amazing, no needle necessary and it knots easily, so much better than the embroidery thread I used last year. Geez, I could become an expert at this and then I'd be known as that gal from California who wears the brown pantsuit and makes book thongs.
Anyway, I'm planning on sending out my story to one or two people by June first. Then I'm going in and reworking Gone Tropical before National conference. I want to really submerge myself in that book and those characters as I haven't looked at it for about four months. I want to relearn who they are so I can effectively pitch the book to both agent and editor. And I did decide on the conference to Australia and I'm so looking forward to going. It will be a blast and I get to take a whole day workshop with Jenny Crusie. So then I'll come back home with all of this amazing information and I'll be known as that gal from California who always wears the brown pantsuit, is an expert at making book thongs, and thinks she's so darn smart just because she took a Crusie workshop. *wink*
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
An odd duck
I think it's important to recognize and acknowledge strangeness. I'm quite proud of everything weird about me, even though for the most part I don't say publicly what those odd things are. *grin* I just know I'm a bit of a strange duck. The other day I cut a quote of Colin Powell's from a local newspaper, I believe he was addressing young people, could have been a graduation or something like that, I don't remember, but I do have the quote taped to my computer:
"No matter what anybody thinks about you, no matter what box they put you in, you have got to believe in yourself."
I spent a good part of my young adulthood defending myself against the people who wanted to pigeon-hole me. I was a "this" because I was a "that." It never made sense to me then and it makes less sense to me today. I just am. When anyone asks me, "How could you go from being a nurse to an author?" Well, I mumble something polite and just stare off into the distance. I'm not defined by one thing, never have been, never will. I like to think we are all multi-faceted human beings with a deep need to create. For many of us though, life gets in the way, we have to work at our other jobs to provide for ourselves and our loved ones and then creativity is stunted by necessity. We forget how to play. At some point, the opportunity to create arises, or we hear that inner voice that says "You can do it." A tiny stream of creativity will re-enter our lives and we'll begin to dabble again. Before we know it the stream becomes a river and a whole new world has opened up.
Anyway, I love that quote of Colin Powell's and it got me to thinking about quotes in general and then to thinking about my maternal grandmother, one of the neatest women ever. I so want to be like her when I grow up. Ooops! Too late! Already grown! *grin* Anyway, Granny lived in a small house on a small farm in Australia. She lived by herself, from her early forties onward and was amazingly independent, and had a great love for words. No television. But she loved listening to the radio. She was a simple woman, an artist who created incredible watercolors, loved to garden, and read from the good book every day. She used to cut out quotes from magazines and tape them to the verandah wall, or put them in her kitchen. Some had been there for so long the paper had yellowed. Wonderful wise words from famous people.
As a kid I loved the one that went like this:
"The kiss of the sun for pardon, the song of the birds for mirth, we are nearer God's heart in a garden than anywhere else on earth."
Years later, I found that quote etched in black enamel on a garden decoration. It has place of honor in one of my patio flowering pots. I'll never be a gardener like Granny, and I can't draw or paint like she could, but I have a passion for words. I love words. I've decided of late to use my words honestly and to own what I write, whether or not anyone else appreciates my talent. I love story telling and I'll keep on doing it until I get too old to see the keyboard. And no matter what anyone else thinks about my so-called life of writer's isolation, it's my choice and I love what I do. And odd duck or not, or swimming that river against the current, of most importance I do believe in my ability.
"No matter what anybody thinks about you, no matter what box they put you in, you have got to believe in yourself."
I spent a good part of my young adulthood defending myself against the people who wanted to pigeon-hole me. I was a "this" because I was a "that." It never made sense to me then and it makes less sense to me today. I just am. When anyone asks me, "How could you go from being a nurse to an author?" Well, I mumble something polite and just stare off into the distance. I'm not defined by one thing, never have been, never will. I like to think we are all multi-faceted human beings with a deep need to create. For many of us though, life gets in the way, we have to work at our other jobs to provide for ourselves and our loved ones and then creativity is stunted by necessity. We forget how to play. At some point, the opportunity to create arises, or we hear that inner voice that says "You can do it." A tiny stream of creativity will re-enter our lives and we'll begin to dabble again. Before we know it the stream becomes a river and a whole new world has opened up.
Anyway, I love that quote of Colin Powell's and it got me to thinking about quotes in general and then to thinking about my maternal grandmother, one of the neatest women ever. I so want to be like her when I grow up. Ooops! Too late! Already grown! *grin* Anyway, Granny lived in a small house on a small farm in Australia. She lived by herself, from her early forties onward and was amazingly independent, and had a great love for words. No television. But she loved listening to the radio. She was a simple woman, an artist who created incredible watercolors, loved to garden, and read from the good book every day. She used to cut out quotes from magazines and tape them to the verandah wall, or put them in her kitchen. Some had been there for so long the paper had yellowed. Wonderful wise words from famous people.
As a kid I loved the one that went like this:
"The kiss of the sun for pardon, the song of the birds for mirth, we are nearer God's heart in a garden than anywhere else on earth."
Years later, I found that quote etched in black enamel on a garden decoration. It has place of honor in one of my patio flowering pots. I'll never be a gardener like Granny, and I can't draw or paint like she could, but I have a passion for words. I love words. I've decided of late to use my words honestly and to own what I write, whether or not anyone else appreciates my talent. I love story telling and I'll keep on doing it until I get too old to see the keyboard. And no matter what anyone else thinks about my so-called life of writer's isolation, it's my choice and I love what I do. And odd duck or not, or swimming that river against the current, of most importance I do believe in my ability.
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