Tweaking my blog

Simplifying my life online
I was afraid of bringing all of myself together online, but I decided tonight that if I'm going to simplify my life, I should also simplify my Internet persona. I admire other people who don't hide behind cute pseudonyms and tell you who they are warts, hang ups and all. I rewrote my header using my Twitter bio as inspiration. Twitter was the first place where I told the world who I was and what I love. Youtube has been bugging me to use my real name instead of QueenBB or Queenbeebee222.

I put links to my other blogs, my main Youtube channel and my main website (which is intended for my middle grade students). For years, I had websites and blogs for all kinds of interests or occupations, so many that as I was posting links, I kept finding blogs which I'd forgotten about. No wonder few of them were updating regularly.

Communicating on another plane
My best buddy is away for 10 days in a silent meditation retreat. No phone, no Internet, no books, no journalling (but I'm sure she's cheating on that clause), no talking with table mates while eating vegetarian food in the refectory.

They wake you up at 4:30 every morning so that you can meditate before breakfast. Now, when I say that this is my best buddy, this is the friend I with whom I could drive across Canada and not get into an argument. This is also the friend who is already on the line before it rings when I go to call her. I swear that ever since her first morning at the retreat I have woken up either just a bit before or not long after 4:30 am. I am purposefully staying up late tonight to see if I will wake up around 4:30 am again tomorrow morning, day 5 of her 10 day retreat.

My computer says that it is soon going on midnight. I better head on upstairs to bed just in case a silent gong goes off in my head and I wake up at 4:30 again.

http://www.dhamma.org/

Gotta write if I want to submit

Almost 5 months since last post
I can't believe that the last time I posted on this blog was September. I'm not doing a very good job at blogging on this one. Maybe I should have have just one blog. I have several blogs for different interests. But, that's me, spread thin like someone who loves hot butter on toast but who doesn't want the fat.

It's now March break and I promised myself that I would continue writing the middle grade novel I started over a year ago. I haven't yet. I've been sorting clothes and kitchen drawers.

But I have been writing
To be fair to myself I have been writing. I started a new blog to get over a checking habit and some anxiety issues which came on like post traumatic stress after a couple of events over 10 years ago. 
I've given myself the 31 days of this month to make some real changes and to get out of some very bad and self-limiting habits. You can read that blog at http://flowletgo.blogspot.ca/

Got poem published on ezine
One of my poems, When I was young and in love, was published on the Long Story Short Poetry Page in February.

My first chapbook
I self-published my first chapbook called Purple Ink because my favourite pen Pentel Energel liquid gel purple ink and I usually write my morning pages in purple ink. I published about 15 copies and gave them away at Christmas. Last year, I had used Garageband to record and produce all of the tracks for an album (CD) of original songs called Queenbeabea.

Unblocking my artist
I'm still slogging away at Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way and writing morning pages. I've written hundreds of pages and been through a number of journal since last summer.

I enjoy the process of writing. I enjoy writing for fun.
Maybe I don't really care about being published. Maybe I'm fooling myself. Maybe I'm scared.
FEAR = False Evidence Appearing Real


Darn! I missed the submission deadline for CarteBlanche by 2 days!!
 

Writing and submissions

Poetry


I sent out 3 poems for submissions, 2 came back with a polite rejection. Not sure what's happening with the third. I have enough poems for a chapbook. Should I publish my own chapbook? Do it myself, send out the chapbook to publishers, ebook, bound book? I'd really like to combine my photography with the poems, heck I think I'll do it myself and make it a winter project.


 Novel

Rewrote the first 9 chapters of my kids novel this summer. Really happy with the tone and protagonist's voice. I'm having trouble going into chapter 10, but it's really important because this is where I have to show some developments between my two main characters.




Other writing projects


I've got a couple of how-to book ideas in the works. They would be in French and geared towards kids. They deal with two subjects which are hobbies of mine that my students enjoy. I am the resident expert on these two subjects so I'm well positioned to write about them. I would pitch them to some French language publishers.


 Workshops


There is an upcoming workshop in Montreal which might help me with my submissions. Writing routine I'm getting back into a routine of writing in the morning. I always write a minimum of 3 pages each morning in my journal. I need to also get up early enough to follow up my journal writing with project writing (novel, poems, how-tos) Yes, I realize that to call it a routine or a habit that i have to keep it going for 21 days. No excuses anymore! I need to get into the habit of writing but also of submitting.

Chapter 9 ...check!

I'm still writing my middle grade novel. I've done a major rewrite of the first third which is 8 chapters. I put down in my journal that I would love to have the draft of the whole novel done by January 1st. Oh boy!! What a challenge especially since school is starting in a few days.

Writers' workshop at La Sapinière, Val-David, Qc

What is a hook? Notes...

A novel= a quest which starts in 1 place & and ends in another 1 st step: character makes a decision which Will change his or her life the moment that propels the story forward. The hook provides the central Conflict. Of course, there has to be obstacles.

Finally, finding a voice!

I keep journalling everyday, that's never been a problem, writing a novel is so much harder. I've written songs since I was a kid, creative fiction and poertyalso come naturally, but finding a structure, chosing a point of vue with an identifiable voice, a strong enough plot with subplots to carry a story through thousands of words, well, that's like an intellectual marathon. I took 2 weeks from everything afternthe end of the school year. I read like crazy...I could spend my life reading. Would anyone like to hire me to reader. Reader for hire. 40-ish bilingual reader who has a penchant for UK and Irish women authors, like Maeve Binchy and Rosemunde Pilcher, American detective, mystery, and suspense authors like Robert B. Parker, Cecile B. Demille and Rita Mae Brown. Also enjoys YA and kids' lit authors like Jerry Spinelli, Louis Sachar, Louise Rennisson, Catherine Austen, and Zilpha Keatly Snyder. Willing to read for food and shelter. Back to writing. In the last week, I have managed to submerge myself in the setting of my middle age novel. I think that I've found a voice that i enjoy writing. Hopefully, it will make for an enjoyable read. I've also got an idea to write a non-fiction book, a how-to book for kids having to do with onenof my many hobbies. So much to write. I wrote almost 700 words last night before going to bed despite for a day trip along the Rouge River with my partner. Beautiful drive. Back to the novel. I might be finding my voice due to reading See Jane Write, on writing chicklit. Yes, I know that I'm writing for middle-grades, but I'm also keeping my own grade 6 students in mind as I write. If they can get into it, I've won! Word count: closing in on 10 thousand words.