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 ;-)