Hiatus...

I know I had promised scarecrow and pumpkin pictures leading up to Halloween, but time has a way of getting away from me. I'll post those when I return from Surrey, British Columbia. I'm on my way to the Surrey International Writer's Conference for a weekend of writing activities (and perhaps a glass of wine and a laugh or two). Then, on to Saskatchewan to visit my mom and family. The blog known as Janet's Journal will be quiet for 2 weeks. Hope you come back and visit me in November when I promise to have scarecrow and pumpkin pictures up.

Talk to you soon :)

Do you have a dream?

It's Inspiration Day here at The Journal. You all know I love inspirational quotes and often look for them online to include on my dayplanner. Something that resonates with the day or my tasks I want to accomplish. Last Friday while writing up my list of things that needed to be done (re-working a story for a contest, organizing my Surrey conference information, working - again - on one sheets and taglines, answering comments on the other blog - http://www.prairiechickswriteromance.blogspot.com/ - and walking on the beach) I went looking for a quote. I was feeling very overwhelmed. This is what I found:

"There is no telling how many miles you'll have to run while chasing a dream." Anonymous

My dream, everyone knows, is to be a published writer. And I know that it's hard work. This quote just reminds me that even though I have to run, inherently I will catch that dream. Not today, not tomorrow, but one day. And when that happens I'll need some new running shoes :)

What dreams do you chase? Is it a marathon or are you a weekend runner? What do you do when the finish line is so far off you can't even see it - how do you stay motivated?

For more inspiration - see my post this Friday on Prairie Chicks Write Romance :)

A Tagline, a tagline, my kingdom for...

Movie trailers - you know, where the deep male voiceover takes you through clips of a movie in a very short, very intense synopsis? Or you're bombarded with scenes that have you giggling in a short 2 minute span? If they do their job, you'll be dying to see the movie. If they fail, the movie will tank. I need to hire a movie trailer writer!

Working on my stuff for conference and struggling (still) with my one paragraph synopsis for The Seduction of Lady Bells. I started with two, but after a lengthy discussion with Hayley and much thought I've trimmed it down to one. I still think it could be better, but time is running out. Now my issue today is to come up with a tagline (a powerful, one sentence synopsis) that will make whomever reads it NEED to read the entire book.

I'm going to head over to my favorite movie place - IMDb - to read some taglines. I'll be right back...

Here I am - first one I find is Amelia (based on Amelia Earhart's story). Tagline: Defying the Impossible, Living the Dream. Wow

Next up: Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant. Tagline: Meet Darren. He's sixteen going on immortal. Eh.

Where the Wild Things Are (one of my favorite picture books). Tagline: There's one in all of us. Perfect.

Law Abiding Citizen (swoon over Gerard Butler) Tagline: The system must pay. Not that great.

And one more. Couple's Retreat. Tagline: It may be paradise...but it's no vacation. I snorted on that one. Sums it up nicely and sets the tone for a comedy.

So, that's what I have to do. Find the perfect phrase, simple sentence, that sums up my novel perfectly. Easy? I've been at this for a year, always attempting something better when I send out a query letter. Where do you hire a tagline artist? Wish me luck.

Seen any great movies lately?

Mahone Bay Scarecrow Festival...

More pictures. Today is highlighting the Mahone Bay Scarecrow Festival. Here's the official town website information on the festival held every October. We didn't get to see all of the scarecrows, there are plenty throughout the entire town, and those we did see may not show up well in the pictures. It was a wonderful night with a pumpkin walk (pictures next week) and fish and chips in the local pub.

Lunenburg county oxen outside the post office.

This restaurant scene was outside one of the elegant B&B's.

What's a maritime scene without a dory and some fishermen?

Aladdin on his magic carpet, with his harem...

A lovely mermaid...

And a beautiful ballerina.

At the end of the pumpkin walk - The Phantom of the Opera.

There are many more pictures. I'll post more next week, closer to Halloween. Hope you enjoy :)

**Remember to click on the image to get a bigger picture**

Liquid Addictions...

The morning brew, the pick me up,
Strong and black, and piping hot.
Pour me one in the biggest cup,
Oh, never mind, I'll just drink from the pot.

Tea's my choice for mid-day brew,
A drop of milk in orange pekoe.
Or course, I'll drink the green kind, too,
But not in a tea cup, way too frou frou.

The evening is reserved for other libations,
Wine, red or black, or even a beer.
Should I seek help for my liquid addictions?
Well, maybe. Perhaps next year!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Of course, my addictions aren't that bad. I started out with a poem about coffee and it ran away on me. I don't often write poetry - did in high school - but the last year or so I've really gone back to it. I'm no Elizabeth Barrett Browning, but I do enjoy the mental exercise.

Tell me about your liquid addictions. Or your love/hate with poetry. I'll be right back, have to go pour myself a second cup of coffee (tea, if you're here in the afternoon; wine, if your visiting this evening :)

Words...

I hope to one day make a living with words. So it drives me insane when I'm working on editing a piece for a short story contest and the word that would be perfect for what I'm trying to convey refuses to come forth. It's there - I can picture it, but I can not grasp it. So I sit and stare at the screen and hope that if I wait long enough it'll come out of its hiding spot and present itself.

Who has the most patience? Usually the word! So I sigh in frustration and close up my computer, my eyes strained from the glare of the screen, my mind numb from the hours spent tweaking, reading, changing back. I lay for hours thinking of the image I want to present (imagining it is so easy) and still the word is illusive. When I can't take the tossing and turning and my body overrules my brain, I sleep. That's when the little bugger peeks its head out of the dark recesses and flits about through my dreams. Taunting me.

Last night, I actually caught it in my dream - wove it into the sentence I had been working on, and clapped my hands in glee. This morning, just as I was waking, the word still there in all its glory, I spoke it aloud. Capturing it before it could retreat (as words are known to do in the light of day). I wrote it down, making it even more permenant. Then went to pour coffee.

Now, sitting looking at the thing - it really isn't the right word at all. Dreams have a way of working out, everything makes sense (including the hurricane you survived by hiding under the water for 24 hours). I must find a new word. It could be a long day.

One day I hope to make a living with words. I might have to wait until tomorrow :)

Holy Crap...

I have a lot to do in the next 6 days! I'm off to Surrey for the Surrey International Writers Conference (SiWC) next Thursday. While there I have a Blue Pencil Session with an author. This is where I'll take in 3 pages of a work in progress and get her opinion. It's a 15 minute session and I've chosen an author who writes romantic comedy. Eileen Cook is also conducting a workshop about humour in writing that I'll try and take. Since everyone continues to tell me I should cultivate that comedy streak, I figured this would be a good opportunity to see if I cut the mustard (where, exactly, did that saying come from - was mustard once as thick as tension that you had to cut it with a knife? - you know I'll have to google that, don't you, sigh).

Back to the conference - I finally decided which 3 pages to take and need to get that polished up and ready to go. It's from my story about Jane and Ryan - Jane, a woman going through an early mid life crisis due to a break in her marriage and having used food as the drug of choice to keep her sane, and Ryan, a personal trainer who has a strict 'no dating clients' rule. Jane refuses his help and when she's finally ready to sign up, he refuses to help her. Throw in a nasty ex-husband, a crazy partner for Ryan's business and I'm hoping I have a tale for the telling. I think I'm going with the title: Confessions of a Carbohydrate Slut.

Next on the get ready list is prep for an interview with an editor. Yikes - already quaking in my slippers over that one. Valerie Gray is executive editor for Mira Books right here is Canada. I'm going in with the hopes of wowing her (a girl can dream) and make her desparate to read The Seduction of Lady Bells, my medieval romance set in Northern England. Now, I should have a one sheet with the blurb and my personal information (name; address; blog links; no, no, I have no publishing credits; no, no, I don't have an agent). And I have to be ready for any questions she may fire at me in the 10 minutes we have together to prove to her this manuscript is brilliant...

Sorry, had a little self-doubt there - didn't want to subject you to that. Also, I need to decide which workshops I'm going to try and get to, which editor or agent I'd like to see as a second pitch session (you could sign up for one, but there are others you can sign up for when you get there), and research the closest liquour store so I can buy some wine for the room (I may need it as soon as I leave the pitch session).

Six days? Geesh, I better get going :)

Crafting...

Now, remember I warned you earlier - this is a journal and you who read are subject to my ramblings :)

I attended my first session on Stitch and Bitch yesterday, well not really my first considering I had been a member of the group for 4 years the last time we lived on the beautiful South Shore of Nova Scotia. So I had to find something crafty to do - can't just show up and drink tea and eat goodies and gossip the whole morning :)

My craft of choice - wait, not really my craft of choice. I am not a crafty person, never have been. My mom tried for years to get me to knit (she's a fabulous knitter), but when all my practice squares came out as triangles and minus 1/3rd of the stitches she put on the needles... I finally discovered through my friend Brenda that I could actually cross stitch. No stitches to drop, no pattern to memorize, and talk about a blank canvas coming alive with a beautiful picture when you're done (always wanted to be an artist - can't draw a straight line). During my four years with the S&B group, I completed a few projects and gave them away as gifts.

I dug out my cross stitch stuff and wondered if any of the old group would recognize the project. Yup, 7 years later and I was still working on the same Christmas Snowman scene! How did I let 7 years go by without cross stitching? Well, writing took over my life and now instead of needle and thread, my hands are usually occupied with pen and paper. Thankfully, no one called me on my lack of progress and I was able to pick up where I left off (small mental stall at the beginning, but like riding a bike...).

And I realized I missed it. There's something about cross stitch that's very soothing (maybe not for you, but maybe you knit, or quilt). Your mind is focused on the tiny squares, no Monkey Mind. A rhythm develops. A picture evolves. Now this isn't art, but I can understand an artist sitting before her easel, palette in hand, focusing on her canvas, and the breath slowing as she uncovers the picture hidden beneath the whiteness with each stroke of the brush.

So, I had a wonderful time at S&B. Didn't do much bitching, though. Hmm - too busy cross stitching or I just didn't have anything to bitch about :) What about you? Any crafts you enjoy doing? Do you belong to a crafting group?

Inspiration...

I'm taking a page from a dear writing friend's blog (Alannah Lynne) - she always has a motivational day during the week (her's is a Tuesday) and I love going there to read the quotes she finds. BTW, she also has beefcake Mondays! So, I'm going to make Wednesdays all about Inspiration - because Wednesdays can be very uninspiring.

"Our plans miscarry because they have no aim. When a man does not know what harbor he is making for no wind is the right wind." Seneca

Take aim, make preparations, so when the wind blows you're heading in the right direction. And have a wonderful Wednesday :)

**Picture is of the Bluenose II whose home port is Lunenburg, Nova Scotia - a short 15 min drive from where I live**

Tuesday, Tuesday...

...well, since Monday was a holiday and all. Always did feel that the Tuesday was a Monday when there was a holiday - and then the week usually dragged by. Personally, I think there should always be a long weekend. Remember in the late 70's, early 80's talk of technology changing the world suggested that work weeks would go from 5 to 4 due to the computers making life so much easier. Ha! I'm thinking that prediction went to the same "Failed Prophecies" room as the failure of television and the big Y2K Scare.

Why do we all want to predict the future, anyway? Is it in order to try and control the uncontrollable? And have you noticed that most of the predictions are negatives? This will happen (cue doom and gloom music), that will fail (action - screaming actors), we will become obsolete (fade to black). Where's the affirmative soothsayers? Out of business because no one wants to hear that everything's OK. What would we fret about if we listened to someone predicting a world of peace, love, and harmony? Coke commercials only last for 30 seconds before the evening 'disaster' news comes on.

Well, hasn't this turned into a little rant? Now you've had a glimpse into my journal writing and how my mind works. Scary! If you've stuck with me to the end of this entry - thanks. Leave a comment about a prediction you remember failing. And for those that tried to comment yesterday and couldn't without an account - I fixed that, you may now choose 'Name' and just type in your name, no URL needed, or use Anonymous and type your name at the bottom of your comment. (Sorry, Raylene :)

Happy Tuesday, everyone.

First Post...

Figured I needed somewhere to post my pictures. Of course, this will end up being an online journal, as well. Narcissistic, isn't it?

First up: my new home. The sun is shining today and the fall colors are beautiful. I'll get my camera out and take some more pictures. But for today, here's some I took when we first arrived.

The view from our temporary home, looking out over the mouth of the Lahave River.

This is Oxner's Beach - "Our Beach". You can see Ron and Taz in the first picture - beyond them is the house we're renting; so the view from our living room window is this exact spot. The beach is semi-private, no signs to indicate it's there and owned by the land owners of Lower LaHave. 99% of the time we have the place to ourselves! Shells, drift wood, and beach glass tend to find their way into our pockets as we stroll along - a good 40 minutes from out car, out past the point, along the inlet, and back.

Taz loves the beach!

Here's a few more shots:

And the purple flowers growing amidst the marsh grasses tempted me into trying to be artistic.

Not sure how these will format. I'll have to practice uploading and positioning pictures, so bear with me. Also might need to increase the size? Stay tuned - next up will be pictures from our evening in Mahone Bay with pumpkins and Scarecrows at the Scarecrow Festival.

Happy Thanksgiving :)

**Clicking on the pictures gives you a much bigger version**