Tag: novel minds

Seaworthy

Seaworthy

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It’s a pretty great feeling to realize you really are doing what you love.

Writerly Kits  is a subscription box service curated for writers, emerging writers and wanna-be writers. This new venture is up and running and I could not be more delighted by all that it is

ONE:  The vision is for more people to have access to coaching tools and resources to support their goals. Writers who might not otherwise access coaching, (because it is hard for a writer to justify the cost of coaching) will find this accessible, affordable and do-able.

TWO:everything I love to do, and am decent at, gets to go in these lovely boxes.  It’s like an event in a box that let’s others find their best way of getting to what they love – while having fun!

And these are things I love:

  • Theme planning,
  • creating the discovery content from the coaching and Novel Minds process,
  • creating the graphics, the art… and sometimes even the pottery;
  • collaborating with authors I love
  • collaborating with others to include very cool items that support writers;
  • testing coffees that may pass the test and end up in the boxes;
  • stay true to my passion for organic products, less waste, a healthier earth, supporting artisans and companies in line with my values.
  • and then.. THEN… building a community that supports each other!

These are all things that scream “Janet, You LOVE this!”

Writerly Kits is curated especially for writers. Dear to my heart. I know the struggles.  But, what if you are not a writer? I suspect I’ll venture into other areas for other creative folks down the road.

If you are here, following this blog, you know I’m pretty passionate about each of us getting to whatever realm of creativity reveals our magic. More writers writing. More arters arting. More actors acting. More inventers inventing. More philosphers philosophizing.

I love the theme of the first box. It just seems a perfect place to start, given my history!  Actual contents are a secret, because the gift- like quality of a subscription box is half the fun! The theme?

FullSizeR

 

Seaworthy.

Because, guess what? You are not a train going from A to B on the same track every other train is on. You are a writer. You are far more ship-like. Treasures, techniques, cool processes to find your way to chart your course and navigate your writerly life. Fun and Imaginative

And THREE:   Oh my. People are subscribing! The learning curve of finding nice ways to share this new project has been…. well, kind of like climbing a mast. Not much curve, I suppose. Straight up.  I don’t want to play the same old same old rhetoric of sales that is out there in social media. You are too smart for that, anyway. I just want to share what this is and hope people care. And they do care. And I am feeling very happy.

It’s not always easy to do what we love way more often. But this is working for me. I wish for you more of what you love, too.

I invite you to have a peek:  Writerly Kits

I also welcome your feedback!

 

 

 
A true story of creative self-discovery in 3 minutes or less…

A true story of creative self-discovery in 3 minutes or less…

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A three part, minute or less each, activity for your novel mind!

Part 1: Without thinking too hard about it, name a character you love from a book or a movie.  (This was the first post of the day on Novel Minds on Facebook. People responded, then I added the second and third post. If you want to have a similar experience to those I’m sharing here, take a few seconds to answer each part, before going to the next)

Person 1  
One of my favorites…ET!

Person 2   
Atticus Finch

 

Part 2: What are the qualities of that character that makes that character one you love?

Person 1  

Ah, there are so many! His compassion, curiosity and willingness to discover things that are surely very different from his own home and world! Not only a botanist, but an explorer as well! I love everything about him!

 

Person 2  
He has integrity, leads by example, willing to stand alone for the right reasons, sticks up for the disenfranchised. Parents well.
Many reasons. Plus, in the movie he was played by Cary Grant… hello!
Part 3. Characters you love are mirrors of you. Read what you wrote about why you love that character and notice how much YOU are like that character. Any aha moments about this? Thanks for playing!!!
 
Person 1
Aha! We both love the “Super” Moon! This was really fun! And of course the timing was perfect!

 

Person 2

Wow. Wasn’t expecting that. I humbly own it though.
 ~ ~ ~ ~

I know… you likely didn’t get to try this right now as you read this. Even though you know the final part, you could still give it a try? Pretend you don’t know this is all about you!  I’d love to hear about your favourite character! (which, is also you, by the way!)

 

 

The Christmas Cross-Off List; Finding the Magic

The Christmas Cross-Off List; Finding the Magic

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Tis the Season to Audaciously Cross Things OFF the Way Too Long “To Do” List. It’s one sure way to notice the magical spirit of it all.

Step 1:  Take out the To Do List  (Open if the list is on your phone.)

Step 2:  Take a big breath and start crossing things off.

“I can’t do that!!” you might be thinking. Let me convince you: Your TO DO List is likely a key factor in you’re not getting to enjoy the season nearly as much as you could be.  The list is long. It’s overwhelming. It’s full of unrealistic expectations.  It’s in your thoughts so much that when you are doing something you enjoy, you’re thinking of the TO DO List.
So let’s turn that TO DO list into an “I GET TO DO” list.

Step 3: Across the top of the TO DO List, write: How can I make this simpler?  Heck, how can I make this fun?

Step 4:  Cross things off the list – pretend you are an editor who must trim a 500 word article to 50 words. Your house cleaning list will start to look like this:

TIPS for CROSS OFFS:

The Baking List:  Cross off all but 3 or 4 favourites.  Cross off everything that’s complicated to cook.  If tradition has you building a gingerbread house that gets thrown away at the end of the season, cross it off.  Will it still be Christmas without Russian Teacakes or fudge that you burn three times before it turns out right? Yes.

Kids’ Gift List:  Still trying to balance the number and value of gifts for your kids?  Stop. You know you love them equally. “Balancing” just costs you more and more money.  If the list is already way out of balance – so much so that one child will be sure you don’t love them at all – cross the extra gifts off the list. Put them away for a birthday or return them after Christmas.  A tip to simplify gift giving for kids: Give them one thing they think they want, one thing they need or that you know they would like, a book, and if you love board games or movies, add that.  This could be the year that you’ve decided to reduce ‘stuff’ to help the environment.  Your kids might.. maybe.. buy into that, especially if ‘experiences’ like movies or skiing become a part of the gift giving tradition.

Gift list that has you going to 12 different stores:  Pick a theme like ‘books’ and spend a relaxing afternoon in the book store choosing a special book, magazine or journal for in-laws, parents, siblings and friends.  Or pick a craft or baking project and spend creative time at home with a hot chocolate, fancy coffee, or mulled wine making gifts. Or buy them experiences like movie passes, gifted with some nice organic popcorn, perhaps.

Christmas Dinner:  Can you break tradition and make it simpler?  Premake side dishes?  Have others bring a side dish?

One year, most of my family was out of town, and just my two daughters and I were going to be having Christmas together. They told me not to plan dinner. They had a surprise, they said. Do you know how hard that was? What? No Turkey? No preplanning all that goes into Turkey dinner? The surprise was that they had planned to cook us a Persian dinner! I hadn’t had persian food since I’d lived in Iran when I was in my 20’s… it was such a thoughtful and delicious present.  And look, here I am talking about the Persian Christmas dinner and not about all the other 50+ turkey dinners. We survived (thrived) doing Christmas dinner differently. So can you.

Events:  What events on the list make you smile and what ones feel like pressure?  Try really really hard to cross off the pressure events.  They might be events you ‘should’ attend, but remember you are trying to reduce the overwhelm.  Once you are done with all of the cross off’s, you might actually have time to do the things you’d adore doing.  Your list might start to look like this:

  • More story times with the kids.
  • Read a book.
  • Write a story. Play with paints.
  • Sit by the fire and do nothing.
  • Go Tobogganing, snowshoeing, skiing.
  • Breath. Be present. Notice that there is actually magic at Christmas.

Notice how your TO DO list is turning into an I GET TO DO list? Feeling some relief? Now, in this more peaceful state;  watch for it, listen for it, feel it…there is magic….

 

 

 
From Frustration to Magic – A Timely Reminder

From Frustration to Magic – A Timely Reminder

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“Shit,” she barked, as the props securing the old fence gave way, causing it to fall awkwardly into the alley.  Walking inside, she acknowledged the grinding metal on metal drone of her furnace with a “Shut up. Just shut up.” The endless cycle of broken things, dust, and dog hair surrounding her were sucking the life right out of her. Aimlessly she paced the house, landing smack into her collection of paint.

        And so she immersed herself in senseless paint blotches and strokes and tantrums on paper.  She watched the paint flow, tilting and messing, and scowling at mud colours forming but mumbling, ”let it go” for, of course, the transition from pouty cranky fences, to bills that refused to fly to the neighbours, to dishes that have never been nor will ever be all clean at the same time…  and into the space where passion, and colours transport her to where she becomes an observer… admiring what her hands are producing but certain they are not her hands, in awe of the concepts and theories and wisdom that flow through her mind…


~~~~

2012 ~ Came across this as I work on my book during nanowrimo. It was written a few years ago. A good reminder now to ‘just go paint’ sometimes~

2017 I came across this post AGAIN on my Musing Along blog today. (Thanks, Fb memories) Though specifically fences haven’t fallen down, for similar reasons, I have found myself mucking about experimenting in paint mediums a lot! Some good enough art and some not so good but very funny art happening…

Befriend what’s going on inside…

Befriend what’s going on inside…

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 “Neuroscience research shows that the only way we can change the way we feel is by becoming aware of our inner experience and learning to befriend what is going on inside ourselves.”
– Bessel van der Kolk –

And that, dear reader, is what we get to do in the upcoming Novel Minds course. Creatively, intuitively, PLAYFULLY, and powerfully.  Oh, yeah!  Kind of like the movie Inside Out but with the characters that reside in your mind.