The Secret Society of Lady Writers

Do you want to join me in The Secret Society of Lady Writers?

It is purely for fun and self-improvement.  L-O-V-E.  No other strings attached.  And I'm looking for fellow Lady Writers to join me.

The Secret Society will be a place to:

• Connect with other lady writers.
• Chat about the woes and joys of being a writer - sparing yawning husbands and friends!
• Get critiques of your work in a safe place.
• Be inspired to write more, and more often.

For Lady Writers who are:

• Gritty, glamorous, dangerous, determined, and serious about writing, improving and (dare I say it) getting published.
• Working on current Works-in-Progress - in other words, you need to be currently writing or have existing writing to bring to be critiqued!
• Willing to share work with others in the Secret Society.
• Willing to deliver honest but kindhearted critique.

How do you know you are Lady Writer material?

• You love books and want to write them.
• You already have a little writing experience under your belt. 
• You are humble, but aspiring for new heights.
• You are not delusional.  If you think you are going to write a first draft of cheap fan fiction and then become the next Amanda Hocking, please do not raise your hand.
• You are hopefully a bit quirky with a black sense of humor - because if you want to write novels it will be required.
• You are willing to spend time regularly participating - because secret societies are all about participation.  For those of you out there who like specifics, think 30 minutes a week to read and respond to others' work.

What does this Secret Society entail?

• If you make the cut, you will be invited to a top secret group blog on Posterous, that will be ours, all ours. Private.  Top secret.  An intimate circle.  As opposed to a social networking platform.
• While I expect we may forge new social networking relationships between bloggers, our secret society will be private.
• Formally, each week one-two writers will share their work and receive feedback.  Also, I will post one question to discuss, such as What's your writing challenge this week? or What approach are you taking to plotting your current WIP?  or What author are you most jealous of? or When you make your millions in publishing, what charity will you give it to?
• Informally, it will be a venue to chat about where we're at in the process, how things are going, new resources we've found, etc.
• Anyone will be able to post and comment in our own secret blog - from your most secret writerly secrets to an image that inspires you.
• Finally, an important detail - the Secret Society will begin as a 2 month period - April and May. This is so it does not feel like a forever commitment and allows flexibility.  There will then be a one month break.  Depending on how it goes the first time, I will likely start it up again.

You had me at hello!  I want to be a Lady Writer!  How do I join said Secret Society?
I regret to inform you that this will be an exclusive society.  Not to hurt anyone's feelings, but it's hard to really get to know 60 other writers at the same time.  And the point of this is NOT to broadly network, but to go deep.  If  there's only two of us, I'll be happy but I am looking for no more than 6 Lady Writers who want to join in for April and May.

If that's you, please, please send an email to bohemianseason@gmail.com and share:

• Your name
• Your blog, if you have one
• How long have you been writing seriously or not so seriously?
• What are your aspirations as a writer?  i.e. Do you want to write fiction, non-fiction, YA, thrillers, poetry?  Do you want to be published in the next two years? Want to self-publish? Plan to write a series? etc.
• How would you describe your practice or process as a writer?
• What are three of your favorite books?
• Link to your Goodreads profile, if you're on it

Crossing my fingers and waiting for your email to pop up!

-Val

Raise a glass to improbabilities

 * via Mykl Roventine

I have heard many stories of successful writers who collected their rejection letters.  Piles and piles of them.  In folders, framed, tacked and taped on bulletin boards, mementos of the humiliation they had to wade through, defiantly, always believing someday they would get where they intended to go.  It's become a mythology.  It's a story meant to show the naive writer what daunting task awaits.  It's a story meant to scare the waverers away.

Instead of rejection letters, I suppose I could collect negative blog posts I've read about the sorry state of the publishing industry and the horrible odds of writers having any form of success - monetary or otherwise.  For all the giddy PR about the one-in-a-million Amanda Hocking, most of what I see are gloom-ridden posts about agents drowning in query letters, publishers laying off passionate people and bookstores going bankrupt.

It's all very sad if you love books and if you are a writer with any sort of logic chip, this would be enough to make you pack your suitcase of dreams and run away to brighter shores.

But if we all did that, wouldn't all the words and stories go away?  Isn't it up to all of us to hopefully write on?  And from that, some stars will eventually shine.  Maybe mine. Maybe not mine.  Who knows?  But I do know that for now I am sticking my fingers in my ears and writing on.

Success as a writer might be improbable.  But at present I'm just foolish enough to keep dreaming and trying.

So raise a glass to improbabilities, my friends.

Declaration of You - what I learned

So, I spent the last four and a half weeks in The Declaration of You course and all I got was this little piece of paper!

Actually, I love having everything I discovered summarized on one page where I can review and mull.

I was asked if I would recommend this course, and my answer is a big fat "it depends" on what you're expecting when you go into it and what stage you're at.

I was drawn to the course because I loved the voice, style, personality and philosophy of When I grow up life coach, Michelle Ward. She "gets" creatives and the quandaries they face when thinking about career choices. So by extension I was attracted to this course.  I'd recommend the same thing to you whenever you're looking at an online course - check out the personality behind it and see if they resonate with you.

I loved the ideas and playful open tone, but I had a bit of an adjustment about halfway through.  A mismatch in expectations - my fault for not reading the course description for what it was instead of seeing what I wanted to see.

From the standpoint of both a blogger, a writer and a real life human, I've struggled with coming to grips with my idiosyncrasies - the funky little things that make up who I am and what I love - and feeling comfortable expressing it.  How to boil it all down into the essence that is me - my brand?  ACK.  Did I just say that word? I did.  Ah, branding.  You see, I do have a marketing background.  And I tend to think in those terms.

On my blog I'm all over the place:  I like books!  I like movies!  And tea!  Pretty ladies in vintage clothes!  But also modern style! And I'm also a writer!  Who is a philosopher!  Who likes punky nail polish!  And crochet! And sci-fi!  And Jane Austen!  And exclamation marks!

You see my problem.  (Btw, I'm thinking maybe I should embrace my problem.  Maybe my essence is my idiosyncrasies, but that's for another blog post.)

I thought this course would help me boil down the essence of me to some kind of top secret formula, like Dr. Pepper or Revlon Fire and Ice, that I could use to be more pithy and pointed.

Ha!  No.  This was not the course to do that.  Sorry.

While we did spend the first week talking about what we love and what makes us unique, after that the course veered into other territory.

So I'd say this class will not help you figure out what to do with your life (exactly) or help you figure out how to define your brand (exactly). But it will help you create your own personal philosophy and guidelines to help you along the way.

This class will not give you a 6 month or 5 year plan to world domination.  It will however, help you define your own manifesto of what makes you tick, what matters to you, and how to hold it together no matter what your 5 year plan turns out to be.

What you end up with is a personal manifesto describing: what makes you tick, what makes you unique, where you want to go with that in general (intentions), how you need to care for yourself along the way, what success means to you, how you view money, ways to celebrate your milestones in the journey, and what you can trust in along the (scary) way.

This one sheet is a reminder, tenets to live by, things I can go back to and look at and say - "Does it make sense for me to take that 2 year assignment in Zambia?  Does that map to my definition of success? Does it fit with my unique strengths and passions and intentions?"  Or I can look at my crazy journey to publish a novel and say "How can I celebrate the milestones?  What can I trust in when I am wanting to pull my hair out?"

I'm still processing my own declaration.  It's dense - there is a lot of meaning in this one page and how it will impact me over time is hard to say. But it's a great start at what you could get working with a life coach - your own personal, foundational philosophy for making decisions.


If you're trying to develop a super concrete action plan or a very specific definition of the essence of you (your own custom parfum straight from the laboratoires de France), you might need another course, or you might need to shell out the big bucks one-on-one with a life coach to get there.

Too good not to share - Opening up

  *via macinate

After a hard week last week, I read this post called Open Up Anyway on White Hot Truth and went "Ah, yes, that's it exactly! Thank you Danielle LaPorte."  Proclaiming "I want to be a writer" and then doing it... it's wonderful but frightening and painful at the same time. And I've been feeling the pain, so I appreciate the encouragement to open up anyway.

Now reading... The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht - As part of my efforts to be more involved in the world of books and writers and publishing, I attended an event featuring Tea Obreht at Book People.  Tea is the (terribly young to be so accomplished and all aspiring writers are jealous) author of the (newly published and highly acclaimed) novel, The Tiger's Wife.  Interesting interview - she described her late night writing sessions, talking dialogue out loud to herself in elevators and driving around in her car listening to soundtracks she crafted for inspiration.  I am now reading the book to try to understand what all the rabid hype is about!  Her writing style is highly present, full of action, slowly unfolding, rich in description of time and place, but with elegant simplicity.  The way she moves from present to past, from reality to mythology creates depth and layers. I have finished about a third so far, and I'm eager to see where it's all leading.

Friendship isn't for weaklings - This post from Carlie at Twinkling Along really touched me.  She captures how I feel when having a great conversation with a friend and how amazing that can be.

Gorgeous color!  Inspired by this fun post on Her Library Adventures, I dug out my OPI nail polish and painted my nails this week a bright yellow that I liked to think was like spring daffodils.  I thought the color was bitchin' cool.  Until my brother in law said "your nail polish is the color of cheese." Men.  I still think it's cool. 

This week I lost all interest in real food and have instead been eating the Devil's Saltines.  You see I found a recipe in the first issue of Where Women Cook that was so purty.  And it sounded so good.  Brown sugar caramel over saltines, with chocolate chips and chopped pistachios. Unfortunately they were as delicious as promised and yesterday I found myself eating them for lunch.  My innards are not thanking me.  But if you want some Devil's Saltines of your own, here's the closest recipe I could find on Smitten Kitchen

Happy Friday!

10 Things I Like About You, Jane Austen

 *Tote bearing the visage of Jane from Dear Lillie on Etsy

Since I did a Chick Flicks post solely devoted to Jane Austen this week, it got me thinking... why do I have such a life-long love of the Jane? 

So, dear Jane, here are 10 things I like about you:

1. You side with the underdog.  If you were here today, your heroines would not be jet-setting starlets Housewives of NYC.  No, they'd be lower-middle class girls desperately hoping for scholarships to get to college and going to the prom in a thrift store dress they cut into pieces and re-made.

2. You mock the snobbish.  After all, if we can laugh at those we don't like (and those who have it  much better than us but don't seem to deserve it) don't we all feel better?

*A modern take on Lizzy and Darcy from Nan Lawson on Etsy

3. And much like Elizabeth Bennett, you do so like to laugh.  But your laughs are witty and intelligent and cutting, making us all feel a bit smarter, like we're the insiders as we laugh along.

4. You give us hope in happy endings.  No existentialist infuriating The Romantics endings for you.  No bittersweet sorrows.  Just pure closure with a pink bow on top and a slice of wedding cake on the side.

 *Adorable "I am Mr. Darcy" t-shirt via Brookish on Etsy

5. You give men a lot to live up to.  After all, you've created a character women swoon over at the very mention of his name - Mr. Darcy.  Which has now been forever commemorated in product on Etsy.  (And if the t-shirt isn't enough, women can now dress their husbands in authentic Mr. Darcy get up.)

6.You created heroines we wanted to be (some of them at least).  Loveable, but always flawed. Feisty. Smart.  A little bit pretty. Strong. Sometimes headed for trouble with their imaginations or meddling. And infinitely more self-controlled than the modern woman.

 *Soap inspired by Mansfield Park created by Latherati Soaps on Etsy (she makes perfumes inspired by books - I have to meet this person!)

7. Picking up one of your books, or popping in a movie, we step into fantasy. In the world of your stories we step back to a fictional world that gives us a break from our own.  A world of letter writing, ballroom dances, strange social rules and gender rules, a world that had rules when ours seems to have none.  At times we find comfort in this, even though in real life we'd find it stifling.

8.While your notions of romance may be, well... fantastical (and we love you for that), you capture the relationships between women so well.  Friends, sisters, rivals - the comraderie, the secrets, the competition, the misunderstandings.

 *A minimalist portrait of Miss Austen from Kirby on Etsy

9. You are an inspiration, Miss Austen.  The thought of you sitting at your little desk, secretly scribbling your novels in obscurity, never knowing what a tremendous impact you would still have hundreds of years later.

10. Although you have a most definite ouevre of writing, each of your stories is unique (unlike many who have knocked you off over the years).  You are witty.  And quippy.  And infinitely quotable.

How quick come the reasons for approving what we like!  - Jane Austen

Knowing

 *via Marcin Wichary

So I'm just wrapping up the Declaration of You course - still processing and want to share more, but one of the exercises we did involved trust - finding things you can trust in the middle of the big unknowns.  I ended up discovering that when I dial into what I do know, it gives me enough to keep moving forward.

What I do know:

• Moments pass. Frustration is never forever.
• Whatever is bugging me today will not be bugging me in 6 months, something else will.
• Whatever is bugging me today I’ll be unlikely to remember in 3 years, and if I do I’ll probably be laughing at it.
• I’m capable of handling more than I think.
• Reality almost never lives up to my fears.
• I’m usually holding myself back because of fear – often fear of what others will think.
• And other people think way less about me than I think! They’re just as afraid of rejection and judgment as I am.
• Most people love another person who smiles and is interested in them! :-)
• But there will always be haters.  And those people don’t matter – they’re not my people anyway.
• If I live my life to please everyone, I’ll please no one – and especially not myself.
• Life is short and fleeting. Regrets suck. And most of my regrets are from NOT doing things out of unreasonable fear.

I declare that I can trust that...action and faith – trying, working, persevering – moves me towards my dreams and goals...and inaction stemming from fear and doubt leads to regret.


So... What do you know?

Chick Flicks: Jane Austen carnival

My Chick Flicks guide will never end... ;-)  And now there is more, turning to the topic of Jane Austen.

I recently did a post on period film Chick Flicks, but purposely left out Jane Austen to cover lesser known period films, but I can't neglect Jane entirely.  In fact, this entire post is devoted to her.

I admit to having seen almost every Jane Austen film at least once.  A few of my favorites and highlights.

My favorite Jane Austen film adaptations: 
These three films have been criticized for being unfaithful to the books - the most interpretive, and highly stylized, rather than a naturalistic faithful retelling.  And what can I say? I like that.

Pride and Prejudice (2005)
When I saw this in the theater I enjoyed it, but it wasn't until my second viewing that I loved it and could really appreciate it. I love the way this movie evokes emotions.  It doesn't just tell a story, but it visually frames it with vivid, beautiful impressionistic settings and scenes.  If you sit back and really watch this movie, everything about it is so intentional. The film does not tell us what Elizabeth is feeling in words, but makes us feel it from what we see.  And it is a deeply emotional movie.  Maybe that's why I love it.  While some find fault with Keira Knightley, I will say I think she's beautiful in a unique way - but the little fringe of short hair peeking out from her wig never fails to annoy me.

Emma (1996)
Light. Sophisticated.  Archly witty.  And oh so very pretty.  That's why I love this version of Emma.  This has a stylized feel to it, Regency, and yet a little bit staged - unlike BBC versions of Jane Austen that are so naturalistic and realistic.  The settings, the colors, the clothes are all amazing.  Brilliant casting. And Gwyneth Paltrow does a great job at both the accent and bringing a sort of naive snobbishness to her Emma.

Mansfield Park (1999)
I haven't seen this one in awhile, but I find it to be spirited, fun, and witty.  I can't help but root for Fanny.  It has a terrific cast and a modern sensibility.  My only gripe - while Frances O'Connor did an excellent job at being Fanny, at times she seems to old for the part.  Is it wrong of me to say so?

Recently the BBC did fresh film adaptations of all the Jane Austen novels, so if you're a fan, you must check them out - although I will confess, the only one I really liked was Emma (2009) starring Romola Garai and Johnny Lee Miller.

There have also been interesting movies made about Miss Jane herself.  Although these are quite often fictionally embellished, here are two beautifully bittersweet Jane Austen biographical films I enjoyed:

Miss Austen Regrets
I think Olivia Williams is amazing as Jane - there is such intelligence and sadness in her eyes. This is a lovely, delicate, bittersweet, mature film.

Becoming Jane
Aargh.  This movie really got me.  I so didn't want it to end the way it did.  Happy ending lovers, avoid this.  But I think Anne Hathaway did an amazing job ripping my guts out, along with the charming James McAvoy.  And it's a moving fictional account of how "Jane" became "Jane Austen".


And modern twists on Jane Austen:

Clueless
This modern spin on Emma is the perfect movie when you're in a light, pop, throwback sort of mood.

Bridget Jones's Diary
I can't say I like what they've done to Elizabeth Bennett here, turning her into the neurotic, dieting, alchoholic, ciggie-smoking, bad-boy loving and always-challenged Bridget.  But how can you not love a movie that opens with cheesy Christmas sweaters - or jumpers as they call them in England?  Seriously. And Hugh Grant as the bad boy?  Brilliant.

The Jane Austen Book Club
This is one of those ensemble-cast films with many small stories intertwining - all connected, of course, by the Jane Austen book club. (Btw, did I mention I saw Emily Blunt and John Krasinski in the plane when we flew to LA?  Of course, my husband was like "Oh it's that guy from The Office", but I'm thinking OMG, it's "Young Victoria"!)



And just for fun Jane Austen blogs! Sometimes its nice to know you're not alone in your love of the Jane...
The Jane Austen film club 
My Jane Austen book club
Austenblog
Jane Austen's world
Jane Austen in Vermont
Jane Austen today
Austen Pride


So here's my question... WHICH Jane Austen book would you love to see made as a film again and why?  Anyone you'd love to see in the lead roles?

And if you have any absolutely favorite Jane Austen blogs or spin-offs, please do share!

Yip, yip, yippee - Happy milestone celebration

Bear with my self-indulgence today, but I have to let loose a little celebratory cheer! This week I finished the first draft of my re-written novel.  Okay, that is a totally confusing sentence.  A little background - I started writing this in August and in November finished the first draft, then worked on the second draft until January. At which point I realized my sweet baby needed major surgery if it wasn't going to be an ugly baby.

So I've been in major surgery mode for the last two months.  I consider this a re-write, versus a draft or a revision. I cut a lot - that was one of my goals - to take it down from over 150K words to more like 100K - to tighten it, but keep it rich.  Along the way I changed major plot elements, re-writing the last half of the story.  And I changed from multiple first-person Point of View Characters to third-person which was a major change.

It's been stinking painful!  It's been exciting!  It's been scary! (Yes, it is an acknowledged fact that I use too many exclamation points and too many asides in parentheses.) And I'm so glad major surgery is over. Now it's time to polish, polish, polish and make 'er pretty.  Then my goal is to start querying in the summer.  I anticipate this will be a long process - and that's why it's so important to take joy in each milestone.

I am a big believer in celebrating the journey - even if it takes a lot longer than I anticipated or hoped. Who cares?  I'm going to celebrate this milestone and then keep moving.

I thought of things I could do to celebrate - but the truth is, just posting this up on my blog makes me happiest.  So thanks for being part of my online party and encouraging me so much along the way!

Kings of Pastry: Movie for a Bohemian Season

After watching Kings of Pastry, it's official.  I do not want to be a pastry chef.  Not the fancy French kind at least.  These guys are hard core performance artists.  I was amazed watching one of them make a wedding cake that seemed to be constructed of sixteen layers of mousse, ganache, cake, jam and dacquoise.

Now if you have me making cream cheese brownies, snickerdoodles and red velvet cupcakes all day, I'm a happy camper - but elaborate sculptures made out of blown sugar? Mais, non!

But this was a totally fascinating documentary.  I was able to peep into the world of elite French pastry chefs, and while the characters weren't exactly the quirky color characters you often see in documentaries, I truly found myself caring about them and rooting for them as they participated in the contest.  I even yelled at the screen several times and almost cried.

But here is why I loved this movie, and why I'm deeming it a movie for a Bohemian Season:

• It's about passion and endurance - loving something so much you'll work at it until your fingers bleed.  That impresses me.
• It's about risk - these are high stakes, and there's a very good chance many of these chefs won't win the coveted prize, but they do it anyway.
• It's about failing and picking yourself back up and trying again - many of these chefs fail the test multiple times and keep coming back until they win.

This movie was an inspiration to reach for greatness - and a reminder that it doesn't come easily and it doesn't come overnight.

p.s. If you have Netflix, it's available for streaming!

Monday, time for a little dreaming - Dream jobs, anyone?

It's Monday and  we have to get up an extra hour early due to the time change. I need a good injection of fantasy alongside my black coffee.  So I'm dreaming.  Dreaming of dream jobs.  The sorts of wild, crazy things that make me go ooh and ahhh.

My dreamiest dream jobs:

• Novelist - of course! 
• Color predictor at Pantone - Seriously.  Would love this.
• Writer of Anthropologie's newsletters or even more fun - Namer of Anthropologie's clothes for their catalogs - tee hee!
• Travel writer - Adventure. Finally time - and an excuse - to see more of the world.
• Food writer- Yum!  But I don't know if my "bottom line" could handle this job.
• Interior stylist - Especially if I can wear quirky couture like Kelly Wearstler and pick up bits and bobs in Morocco.
• Pastry chef - Hand me a frilly apron and just let me bake cupcakes and pies all day in a Southern style home town bakery. 
• Set designer for movies - I'm in awe of how set designers create an artistic sense of place and time.

What are your dream jobs? Feel free to comment - or write a post on your blog and link to it!  I'd love to know :-)  Dream with me...

Too good not to share - pretty and happy edition

It's been a heavy week for me soulwise, so I'm lightening it up with things I've found that made me smile.

 *via Decor Arts Now

 I am always curious how things are done, how things are made.  I always wish I could see behind the scenes.  And now... I can. This fun video shows how the creative minds at Anthropologie create their window displays.

I haven't been able to resist picking up the Where Women Cook magazines.  Sort of a guilty pleasure.  Even better... check out the blog  from the people who make Where Women Create and Where Women Cook!

*via Bluebird Notes

Sometimes I just love pretty and happy.  And Bluebird Notes is such a pretty blog with colors and images that make me happy.


And finally, Friday often seems like such a good movie night!  I so do NOT need this web site in my life, but I so DO!  It's called When It Drops.  And it tells you in this simple format about new movies, video releases, music releases and book releases - this week and in the next two weeks.  Perfect for surveying when the next good chick flick is coming out.

Happy Friday!

The difference between passion and craft

 *via ciccioetneo

My writing experience has been very humbling lately.  Not that I thought I was all that big-headed, but we all have our blind spots.

Last summer I was on fire with a crazy new novel idea that seemingly came from nowhere.  I wrote the first draft quickly - more words than I'd ever written for any single project yet. And it was an awesome, inspiring, amazing experience.  When I read this blog post about bright faith on Daniele LaPorte's blog, I went "oh yeah, I know exactly what that feels like".  It's a high I've only gotten in these intense states of creation. I felt like I was really onto something, like I had something amazing on my hands, more amazing than ever before.

But the problem is there's a difference between the way I feel about a project or the way I feel when writing it and its actual quality and outcome.  It is so easy to take that fiery emotion and feel as if it must equal magic on paper.

This is the struggle of most writers - to discern the difference between what's in their head - their imaginary creation - and what they've actually succeeded in capturing in words.  There can be a huge disconnect there.

As I finished my second revision in January  I was out of the passionate experience of creating, and truly seeing my creation for the first time.  I realized my novel needed a major intervention.

It was embarrassing.  I thought "Holy cow, one of my best friends has been reading this whole thing.  What must she think?"  (And yet I note my progress here - a year ago I was too scared to let anyone read anything.) 

I had a full week where I filled up pages with brainstorming and squinted and stared and struggled and I remember saying to myself "I never want to write a novel like this again!" Meaning I don't want to write the whole thing and re-write it - score one for the "outlining" crowd.  It was discouraging and overwhelming.  I wasn't sure I could do it - that I could put everything aside and rethink it all.

But that's where that passion stepped in to help me because I was determined.  I believed that I had something amazing if only I could properly shape it. It was time for me to move beyond the realm of emotion and intuition and into the realm of craft.

The truth is I need both.  Passion to fire me up and keep me trucking, and craft to do it well and skillfully. I wish that when I'd started last summer I'd had both passion and craft harnessed working side by side. But I'm still learning how to do all this.  It feels as if I learn a new lesson every month that I wished I'd known a year ago instead.  But isn't that the process?

This is the challenge of a growing writer - learning craft, tapping into passion, and continuing to work, work, work.

White girl problems

 *via Coco Rina

I read this blogger recently talking about white girl problems.  I wish I could link back to her but I've gotten lost in the interwebs and it's gone now. But it cracked me up. After a little Google search, I realized (of course) that this phrase is being used all over the place on the internet.

I'm not trying to offend anyone here with racial labels, 'cause that ain't my shtick.  So, you could call it "1st world problems" or "Rich girl problems" or "Affluent people problems" or "American problems", because it's not really about race.  But white girl problems is just funny.  And it sticks in my head and pops back in reminding me when I'm dramatizing something ridiculous, which is lamentably often.  All I need to hear is the phrase "white girl problems" to snap me back into reality.

A few examples of my white girl problems:

Annoying: A necklace with a clasp that could only be operated by an elf with strong fingernails that requires me to ask my husband for help putting it on.
On the bright side: I have a necklace.  I have a husband who can put it on.

Annoying: Car maintenance - bald car tires, inspection sticker overdue by two months, hours spent in Midas waiting room.  Why can't cars regenerate themselves like human bodies?
On the bright side: I have a car.  My own car.  That I do not share with eight other family members. I can afford to maintain it without selling body parts.

Annoying: Tax season.
On the bright side: The miracle that is Turbo Tax online. And I have internet access and a laptop to use it.

Annoying: My house was built in 1982 and perpetually reminds me of that fact with ugly faucets, seashell sinks, popcorn ceilings and brushed brass door knobs, providing me with remodeling projects for the rest of my life if I stay here this long.
On the bright side: Residents of Hong Kong would kill for this square footage.

Annoying: Taking out the trash.
On the bright side: Have trash to take out.  Have trash service to pick it up.  Do not have to scour the dump looking for valuables in trash.

Annoying: Not having a dream job like pretty white girls in rom-coms. Not spending the summer in Provence writing my novel.
On the bright side: I have health insurance and I'm not making a living breaking big rocks into smaller rocks with a hammer.  I have seen people in India doing this, yes it is real. 

So I'm learning to laugh at my white girl problems. Do you have white girl problems too?

Too good not to share

 *via The Royal Sisters

When I saw this beachy, happy crocheted pillow on The Royal Sisters, it called out to me.  "Make me!  Make me!" But how?  I didn't have a pattern.  And it's still amateursville around here.  I need patterns! Well, big fat duh, because she sells her patterns on Etsy.  Sweet!  So... I have the yarn.  I have the pattern.  I made the first square.  Now I just have to make eight more.  I'll share some pics when I get my camera working again.

Are you a blogger?  Want a little help planning your blog posts?  I LOVE the blog planners on the Productivity Flourishing web site.  Charlie Gilkey posts new ones every month.  If you want to brainstorm topics and organize them, these are great.

 *adorable red shoes via Delightful Dozen

New Delightful Dozen blog - Remember my musings on bloggers who are lifestyle artists?  Well if you want to see more chicks who like to make artful with their clothes and poses in moody photo shoots, check out this delightful dozen - a new blog started by a conglomeration of 12 fashion bloggers.


Remaining steadfast - an interesting post on Sustainably Creative. This spoke to me:
It doesn’t really matter what creative path you decide to follow, rather it is the action of following one that is important. By remaining steadfast to an idea or a creative discipline you’ll go on a journey that will open up possibilities and opportunities far beyond what you can see when you take your first few steps.

Happy Friday!

Dreamy

So I'm guest blogging today over at Brocante Home and writing about the topic of dreams - and the difference between dreaming and deciding. 

By the way, two dreams I've been dancing around with for awhile, but still haven't decided on... Getting a dog (must be cute and adorable - in other words, tiny) and a bicycle (must be retro and adorable, in a candy color shade).   Or better yet a dog that fits in the basket of my bicycle a la Audrey. But I haven't decided yet, so it remains undone!

Come visit at Brocante Home and if you tell me your dreams, I'll tell you mine.

What I'm reading - on my nightstand right this minute!

 *via Teacup Vintage and its fun post about Librarian style icons!

No sooner do I write a superior-sounding post about how important it is that we read things that are deep and pensive, than I am reading a book that is dense and meandering and I am tired of it.  I've been reading The Whale: In Search of the Giants of the Sea by Philip Hoare and while his writing style is gorgeously poetic and he pulls the sorts of quirky details  in that I love, he meanders, a lot.  The reason I picked up this book - I wanted to learn more about whales!  And I liked the idea of some intelligently, artistically written non-fiction while I was at it.  But I feel as if my curiosity about whales and the history of whaling is not being satisfied.  Nothing goes in a straight line.  There are millions of pinpoint dots and I'm not sure when I walk away if I will know or remember how they connect. I'm reading it on the Kindle and I find myself looking at the percentage bar (which shows how much progress you're making through the book) and groaning - I'm ONLY at 25% and I'm ready to read something new.  That's it.  Time to fly the white flag.  Guess I'm not as deep and advanced as I thought.  Ha!

So I've picked up some lighter fare to give my poor little brain a break.  I'm reading Her Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik.  And after three days of reading, I'm 33% through it.  Ha!  It's a lovely, light, enjoyable adventurous read - part Patrick O'Brien, part Jane Austen, part dragons.  And if this makes no sense, go check it out. 

And last but not least on my nightstand is The Sharper Your Knife the Less You Cry by Kathleen Flinn.

I've always had this vague fantasy about going to cooking school.  It's probably not a serious desire, one of those silly notions, planted by the sight of Audrey Hepburn in Sabrina or Julie and Julia.  So I'm indulging that desire vicariously through this memoir about a woman who left her life behind to spend a year in Paris going to Le Cordon Bleu. 

What are you reading?

Paring down the insane to do list for aspiring writers

 

*via Here's looking at me kid

Going to writer's conferences and reading writing blogs can be overwhelming.  Everyone is ready to hand you some new piece of advice and you end up with a list of to dos like so...

• Write prolifically on your current Work-In-Progress.
• Cultivate ideas for next projects.
• Continue to educate yourself on the craft of writing, whether it's through books, blogs, or workshops.
• Read until your butt cheeks go numb, you grow a fat pack 'round your middle, and the letters wear off on your Kindle.
• And to be more specific, you must master your chosen literary genre- being capable of referencing both the classics, the authorial giants that dominate, the dazzling newcomers, the upcoming trends and the dying trends that you will get ridiculed for mentioning (vampires, anyone?).
• And if you haven't chosen a literary genre, you must choose one.
• Don't forget to document what you read - share it on Good Reads and do book reviews on your web site.
• Attend social events of the local literati to meet other writers and develop relationships.
• Find a critique group or partner who understands your genre and doesn't make you feel worthless but is sharp enough to sharpen you.
• Learn the business of the publishing world.  And learn the etiquette while you're at it too.  The last thing you want to do is look like an amateur, shy little church-mouse or worst of all an egomaniacal creep.
• Go to conferences. 
• Enter contests.
• Research agents.
• Write query letters and synopses and one sentence summaries and practice your 60 second pitch.
• Build up your writer's resume. Try to get published - somewhere, anywhere.  Expand your writing to poetry and short stories too.
• Start a web site and a blog.  But be sure that it supports your brand.
• Keep an eye on your brand - how you're putting yourself out there in the world.  Make sure it's clear and what you want it to be.
• Keep up your spirits and don't forget the basics of grooming and hygiene.

This appears to be a daunting task to someone who has a demanding day job and a part time job as the home executive, personal chef, and laundress supreme!

How to tackle such a list?  I believe it's critical to prioritize, and not become distracted by peripherals and problems that are far down the road.

So my pared down list of essentials:

• Write until you have a darn good novel. 
• Read as much as you can, broaden your awareness of what's happening out there, but don't try to compete with agents and editors to know every trend and every author.
• And read for enjoyment - if you stop enjoying reading, you're cutting off the very thing that got this started in the first place.
• Don't become too distracted by reading writer's blogs full of advice and quickly discard advice that doesn't work for you.
• Take baby steps towards becoming an educated and social member of the writing and publishing community, but again, don't become distracted.
• Keep up your spirits and don't forget the basics of grooming and hygiene!

 And with that, I'm off to do my day job.  Then workout.  Then cook dinner.  Then write.  Then read.  And not worry about anything else ;-)