tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34177049767819440302024-03-13T10:21:48.580+11:00AM Gray's blog: Gray MattersI write fanfic as mrstrentreznor and real books as AM Gray. News on both here.AM Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08959720085554067253noreply@blogger.comBlogger414125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417704976781944030.post-9797608318765149202020-10-07T19:31:00.001+11:002020-10-07T19:31:24.657+11:00<p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">This week
I hit that problem that only happens to creatives; someone made my thing.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">You know that
idea you had for a novel? Someone wrote it. And it happened twice.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">It had
not been a good week, anyway. Waves hand at... you know... everything.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">But yes,
I read two books that matched pretty closely ideas I had ages ago for two
different novels. I started writing them and stopped at a good way in and threw
them away. Trunked them.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">The ideas
are not exactly the same. A bunch of writers given the exact same prompt will
always write different stories. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">In
Elizabeth Gilbert's Big Magic, she talked about a very specific story idea that
winged its way over to her friend's head. She swore they had not discussed it,
but perhaps they both saw the same source material? Or they did talk about it
and both forgot? She thinks that an idea will bugger off if it thinks you don't
want it. And she might be right, hey, who am I to argue with Elizabeth Gilbert?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Story
will find a way, she intones in a serious Ian Malcolm voice.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">And of
course, my negative self-talk had an excellent week. There were a lot of
shoulds, a lot of if onlys, and a lot of nasty words. I know it doesn't help,
but it's kind of hard to stop it on those days/weeks where you are struggling
with other things.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">So that's
my week, how about you?<o:p></o:p></span></p>Anne-Maree Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10093653923045713331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417704976781944030.post-55337867395955887612020-09-08T08:00:00.002+10:002020-09-08T08:00:05.129+10:00I apologise for being slack<p>One of the things I prided myself on, when I was writing and posting fanfiction, was that I always replied to reviews. Even if it was a smiley face emoji, I would send something back, or just say thanks.</p><p>I loved hearing from people how much they enjoyed the fic (or didn't). I used to post daily, at about the same time, and some comments from reviewers changed the story, and for the better. I suppose I treated them like beta readers. They gave me ideas for other fics, challenged me to write things to songs or certain pairings or whatever.</p><p>It inspired me to keep writing. We were all invested in getting to see the last chapter and 'the end'.</p><p>But then I had my bad tech period, lost my PC, lost my backups, and it was just all bad. And I got out of the habit of replying.</p><p>And like a lot of things, it seemed like a huge thing to start again. The pile grew. Where should I start? Should I go back and try to work out which one was the last thing I responded to? Would it look weird to reply now? Like that awful feeling when you 'like' a years old Instagram post, you know? [Thanks, ADHD brain.]</p><p>This week Ao3 sent a warning that they were experiencing some spam messages, and to check your account, and train it to ID the spam. Off I went to check, and I saw some comments in my in box and before I had really thought about it, I was chatting away to people, and they replied, and I suddenly realised the reviews were nearly a year old. EEK.</p><p>But you know what? It didn't seem to matter.</p><p>So I am just going to start where I am. And if people think it's weird for me to reply now, after all this time? Shrugs.</p><p><!-- wp:paragraph -->
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<!-- /wp:paragraph --></p><p>It's strange times for us all, right now.</p><p><br /></p><p><u>Links:</u></p><p>Fanfiction: <a href="https://www.fanfiction.net/~mrstrentreznor"></a><a href="https://www.fanfiction.net/~mrstrentreznor">https://www.fanfiction.net/~mrstrentreznor</a></p><p>Ao3: <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/mrstrentreznor"></a><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/mrstrentreznor">https://archiveofourown.org/users/mrstrentreznor</a></p><p>
</p><p>FictionPad: <a href="https://fictionpad.com/author/mrstrentreznor/stories"></a><a href="https://fictionpad.com/author/mrstrentreznor/stories">https://fictionpad.com/author/mrstrentreznor/stories</a></p>Anne-Maree Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10093653923045713331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417704976781944030.post-11663733833078881142020-04-03T15:37:00.002+11:002020-04-03T15:39:44.541+11:004thewords<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: large;">I passed a milestone recently…</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "garamond" , "serif"; font-size: large; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I use a writing app called
4thewords. It gamifies writing. Setting your little avatar on a road to
adventure where you travel from one area to another, fighting battles with
creatures, completing challenges and earning reward and inventory items. To any
gamer, it is a familiar situation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "garamond" , "serif"; font-size: large; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">And that is why it works.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "garamond" , "serif"; font-size: large; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I’m not writing, I’m winning a
battle, completing a quest where I have to defeat five of a particular
monster type, or collect seven of these items that monsters drop, or whatever. It
totally works for the gamer mind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "garamond" , "serif"; font-size: large; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">You can also earn wardrobe items
and ‘dress’ your avatar in various items you have won or bought with your hard-earned crystals. There is a forum where you can interact with other players, and vote on best dressed avatars.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "garamond" , "serif"; font-size: large; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">You also get rewards for not
breaking your streak. 434 words a day is the word count required. My streak is
459 days.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "garamond" , "serif"; font-size: large; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">At the moment, my avatar looks like
this.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkyrUuKV7g9T6tkmfp3lXld0CT_cgBBs9DBtMVxCBAtxCIotEUQZSYy4C6bA2-Oa0MMzLz8i-zKClcr7F-a1KpbkATH_UP7XfmOixeVab7BeN7oROwtWqbMUQtpnZfM3p1UhmIwXsNzGVU/s1600/4tw+avatar+2020.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="440" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkyrUuKV7g9T6tkmfp3lXld0CT_cgBBs9DBtMVxCBAtxCIotEUQZSYy4C6bA2-Oa0MMzLz8i-zKClcr7F-a1KpbkATH_UP7XfmOixeVab7BeN7oROwtWqbMUQtpnZfM3p1UhmIwXsNzGVU/s400/4tw+avatar+2020.png" width="233" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: large;">How cute am I? And look at my cool
grey hair. As an older lady it was important to me to represent. [That’s the
closest I can get to it and I DO own red reading glasses.]</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "garamond" , "serif"; font-size: large; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Last month I was male, so that is
cool. You can have three saved avatars of either body form.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "garamond" , "serif"; font-size: large; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">But at any rate, my big milestone
was this one:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1tBdqTt2lSDqT73t6Op24OCRkK2u8q8BW9sQDHPY4rD9DGS3VKMWC_cqBD1piCFJYkRkoofNJlP8HCpJaYp9HamJrLWD3tpl-GowLR425tlHqTFRCnWSISo27pI3pX6RpXmLizhF7NE3u/s1600/4tw+stats+2020.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="255" data-original-width="378" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1tBdqTt2lSDqT73t6Op24OCRkK2u8q8BW9sQDHPY4rD9DGS3VKMWC_cqBD1piCFJYkRkoofNJlP8HCpJaYp9HamJrLWD3tpl-GowLR425tlHqTFRCnWSISo27pI3pX6RpXmLizhF7NE3u/s320/4tw+stats+2020.png" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "garamond" , "serif"; font-size: large; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "garamond" , "serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU; mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_1"
o:spid="_x0000_i1025" type="#_x0000_t75" style='width:283.5pt;height:191.25pt;
visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'>
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:\Users\ANNE-M~1\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image003.png"
o:title=""/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "garamond" , "serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "garamond" , "serif"; font-size: large; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Over One million words written in
this program since I joined it in May 2016. I use it to do my morning pages, to
take notes in a podcast, or course. The documents are stored in the cloud but
you can download them and save back-ups to Word or in other formats.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "garamond" , "serif"; font-size: large; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">You do need to purchase crystals to
spend on some items, or to trade for subscription time, but it’s not very expensive;
$4 a month at the most.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "garamond" , "serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">If you want to try it out use my
referral code: </span>SPYKA97002<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<br /></div>
Anne-Maree Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10093653923045713331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417704976781944030.post-71256402433305312032020-03-27T11:11:00.000+11:002020-03-27T11:11:54.925+11:00Live through this<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">I certainly don’t feel like making
a blog post right now… but it seems kind of important to stick to the things I
planned to do if I can at all do them.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">Does that make sense?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">This virus will take long weeks
or months to beat, and if I let it get to me now, I will freeze in place. And that’s
not good for anyone. For me, it feels like the perfect storm of my fears, and I
am sure other people feel like that, too. I’ve blogged before about my fears
about losing people close to me, or having my kids lose me. And money is always
a fear trigger for me.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">Our house contact in the CSIRO
tells us this pandemic will be over in May <b><i>if we handle it well</i></b>. Note: Australia
is <b>not</b> handling this well. Our
current Prime Minister has demonstrated little leadership in previous crises,
and he remains true to form; garbled ad slogan statements that end up confusing
everyone. 'Slow up the spread, you free up the bed.' ??? What on earth? Especially
when in the next sentence he told us to maintain social distance of 1.5-2m
apart but that going for a haircut was okay as long as it was under thirty
minutes. How long does he think hair scissors are?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">Schools are open, but you can only
have five people at a wedding and ten at a funeral. So if a teacher dies, their
whole class can’t come to their funeral? It’s dumb and confusing. And when
people are confused and panicky they do stupid things. Like hoard toilet paper.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">Other countries have just paid money
into your bank account. The Australian government made the recently jobless
queue in the street to register with an underfunded and understaffed government
department to get a handout that they won’t see in their account before the
second week of April. What are people going to live on? How will they buy food?
Or pay their rent or their bills? And winter is coming. Never mind the
stupidity of breaking the social distancing to queue for hours. Especially if
people are ill. They had to call the police in to make them go home when one office
closed.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">There isn’t a competent person to
replace him if he stood down. His whole party is mired in bad </span><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif";">behaviour</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> and corruption
cases. Part of the PM’s issue is that he is a Prosperity Christian; you know,
the ones who think God hates you if you’re poor. [I don’t think that is Christian.]
It seeps into his rhetoric. He described the recently laid off as unemployed ‘through
no fault of their own’ which pretty much says that all the other unemployed
people are to blame for their situation. Half the country just burnt down. Do you
think those people deserved that? The government toyed with a tiered
unemployment payment in this crisis. Can you imagine? There would be riots.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">And then they closed parliament
until August. AUGUST!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">This fool will kill us all.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">Tragically, this has already meant
suicides in my kid’s circle of friends and raised concerns about some others
who are in the risk group. Honestly, we have just shafted young people; with no
money, no job and with debts and no hope… sometimes people make fatal choices. I
want to open my home and my heart to all of them, but I can’t. Kid 2 is immune-compromised
these days.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">And sadly, the US president is, if
anything, <b>worse</b>. I wrote back in
November 2016 that people will die ^^ but I had no idea it would be this many
people. He just gave himself oversight on a two trillion dollar package. The same
man who cannot imagine that soldiers could hand cash out to people without
taking a few notes for themselves. I always think people out their own thoughts
in what they accuse others of doing.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">On the shiny side, and believe me I
am desperate to find anything, I make bread and I stocked up on flour before lockdown,
so last night we had minestrone with herbs from the garden and hot fresh bread
from the breadmaker. Today there is a sourdough loaf in the oven. I got out my sewing machine and made face masks. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">I have always meant to get to the
cans in the back of the pantry and now I can do that. Beans and rice is a
balanced protein.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">And look at that loaf, she’s a
beauty.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB_DHJL5DbDI8P0B5tz3p39zoXjZ40crt5NgwtbbCMGLtEn-ypCQCglWoAC5VX_Ulv1HU-Lt8Y_zJAspoyxc2zBrGNgIjwvRjPKt1O0EIJcbFSwaaPM9Tr6j8g_oB6w_WJLFvpean9WfP2/s1600/20200327.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB_DHJL5DbDI8P0B5tz3p39zoXjZ40crt5NgwtbbCMGLtEn-ypCQCglWoAC5VX_Ulv1HU-Lt8Y_zJAspoyxc2zBrGNgIjwvRjPKt1O0EIJcbFSwaaPM9Tr6j8g_oB6w_WJLFvpean9WfP2/s400/20200327.jpg" width="300" /></a></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">We’ll get through this. Feel free
to message me here or on twitter @mtr_amg if you want to chat.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">Links:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">^^ </span><a href="https://amgray.blogspot.com/2016/11/people-will-die.html">https://amgray.blogspot.com/2016/11/people-will-die.html</a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anne-Maree Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10093653923045713331noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417704976781944030.post-8485754940397145092020-03-12T15:23:00.001+11:002020-03-12T15:23:46.596+11:00Reading challenge 2019<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 14pt;">I
think I forgot to tell you guys about my Goodreads reading challenge for last
year, 2019.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9KVyUow8YevzYvTQcAhfQo_FdWzHM-d-T7i-oozVnkC-t5rQtaKLOA6YeIWVaQI1Z1xSrkJMLN8G8cK4MjD7CFqqF2CRyfqWuTPsawsAbvrUgt1CvUAT1hy4doKhzNo1j4U5WmqFNrxv-/s1600/Gr+image.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="643" data-original-width="693" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9KVyUow8YevzYvTQcAhfQo_FdWzHM-d-T7i-oozVnkC-t5rQtaKLOA6YeIWVaQI1Z1xSrkJMLN8G8cK4MjD7CFqqF2CRyfqWuTPsawsAbvrUgt1CvUAT1hy4doKhzNo1j4U5WmqFNrxv-/s400/Gr+image.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU; mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shapetype id="_x0000_t75" coordsize="21600,21600"
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<v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"/>
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o:title=""/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">A
small sample is shown here. And in reverse order. [^^] But it gives you nothing
more than the basics.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">In
previous years, I wanted a bit more information about what I was reading, and I
found a spreadsheet from the Smart Bitches trashy Books website. [%%]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU; mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_2" o:spid="_x0000_i1028"
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDdOpoi1Md4_B6A5B_Pvxr-gn8it5w-tjQ8uLJEnrFu1Ep9NkMOXQoHv8do8XzStwAX_lS9YhtxFMPnFfhbJqNlYH1yCYX2QYT_BbWWeBipvzBQSyIVCuUObNTVEZtKGczF6x_szqZCbn1/s1600/sbtb+graph+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="418" data-original-width="763" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDdOpoi1Md4_B6A5B_Pvxr-gn8it5w-tjQ8uLJEnrFu1Ep9NkMOXQoHv8do8XzStwAX_lS9YhtxFMPnFfhbJqNlYH1yCYX2QYT_BbWWeBipvzBQSyIVCuUObNTVEZtKGczF6x_szqZCbn1/s400/sbtb+graph+1.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">My total is really 403 titles. Goodreads has deleted something off and I
cannot for the life of me work out what it was; not without going through all
the records. Ain't nobody got time for that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">So
81,110 pages read. A lot of smaller titles. I was making my way through a pile
of Agatha Christie stories but still managed one title over 800 pages and I
read at a rate of 220 pages per day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Being
a romance centric website, the sheet is very well… romance centric. These are
the categories.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlHmbU-ieC3AvNbeJOIXSLHI6qqLkcAmuIZ1CcCW_SVH6VelqXAPrJ7oMe9UmUhEYHPa_oIA3aooROPs8UYMQEuhrfg0hkiJ6THLBxZlc0vfc5sUGfCkq5uAN8brZXnMLTx5S67HWimnCV/s1600/sbtb+graph+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="363" data-original-width="563" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlHmbU-ieC3AvNbeJOIXSLHI6qqLkcAmuIZ1CcCW_SVH6VelqXAPrJ7oMe9UmUhEYHPa_oIA3aooROPs8UYMQEuhrfg0hkiJ6THLBxZlc0vfc5sUGfCkq5uAN8brZXnMLTx5S67HWimnCV/s400/sbtb+graph+2.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU; mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_3" o:spid="_x0000_i1027"
type="#_x0000_t75" style='width:422.25pt;height:272.25pt;visibility:visible;
mso-wrap-style:square'>
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:\Users\ANNE-M~1\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image005.png"
o:title=""/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">This
surprises me; I did not know I read that much fantasy and sci-fi.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU; mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_4" o:spid="_x0000_i1026"
type="#_x0000_t75" style='width:451.5pt;height:139.5pt;visibility:visible;
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o:title=""/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9UDY6blGFLIUphMCtsbF8fe9JGZoZ-AOr66Pa0vzXkejkDUhLBCYVQuzVzfPdis5XJ6JYor65y1pdnmx_D8i2jKADN6EHZqyyzDZFbhMoOvsrVMnmiuYb5qSpYXrx3fbI59vqSE0aJkx3/s1600/sbtb+graph+3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="327" data-original-width="1058" height="122" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9UDY6blGFLIUphMCtsbF8fe9JGZoZ-AOr66Pa0vzXkejkDUhLBCYVQuzVzfPdis5XJ6JYor65y1pdnmx_D8i2jKADN6EHZqyyzDZFbhMoOvsrVMnmiuYb5qSpYXrx3fbI59vqSE0aJkx3/s400/sbtb+graph+3.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I
am parsimonious with my five star ratings. I do not give them to everything,
clearly that would be for the fourth star – lol. But that is a pretty decent
bell curve. I also tend to dnf rather than one star something.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji1XS_7PTQrc3mfQiYkohUcwG6l3pPsjFDk_hAA-ibtk3UZskD46kLHuV7wzRQvqFXtVdJE8zHfUzjgZ9ADWjppgHYEYcXxYoNoHBFAK8ZVg_WIa0hO0u4YsU9wmx5uZwi3rLuxP-8n3-u/s1600/sbtb+graph+4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="290" data-original-width="796" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji1XS_7PTQrc3mfQiYkohUcwG6l3pPsjFDk_hAA-ibtk3UZskD46kLHuV7wzRQvqFXtVdJE8zHfUzjgZ9ADWjppgHYEYcXxYoNoHBFAK8ZVg_WIa0hO0u4YsU9wmx5uZwi3rLuxP-8n3-u/s400/sbtb+graph+4.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU; mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_5" o:spid="_x0000_i1025"
type="#_x0000_t75" style='width:451.5pt;height:164.25pt;visibility:visible;
mso-wrap-style:square'>
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:\Users\ANNE-M~1\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image008.png"
o:title=""/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">This
is interesting, because as is often the case, what gets measured gets noticed.
I thought I would do better than this at picking diverse books and marginalized
authors. I will try harder in 2020.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">This
year I have also split fantasy and sci-fi into two categories – once I’d worked
out how to edit the spreadsheet. There are instructions on how to do that in
this year’s sheet update. Dammit – I did it on my own, and added in a missing
line and changing the 2019 sheet to 2020. I was super proud of myself for that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I
have set this year’s target at the same, one book per day. So far I am up to
67.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<u><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Links</span></u><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
^^ My goodreads challenge for 2019
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user_challenges/14604195">https://www.goodreads.com/user_challenges/14604195</a><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
%% smart bitches reading
spreadsheet<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<a href="https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2020/01/track-your-2020-reading-with-this-nifty-spreadsheet/">https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2020/01/track-your-2020-reading-with-this-nifty-spreadsheet/</a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anne-Maree Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10093653923045713331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417704976781944030.post-50071196747421765582020-02-25T18:58:00.001+11:002020-02-25T18:58:49.513+11:00Unexpected item in baggage area<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
My garage floods, so everything in
it has to <pwa class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done" data-pwa-category="style" data-pwa-dictionary-word="be kept" data-pwa-heavy="false" data-pwa-hint="Passive verbs make your writing less direct. Try to use an active verb instead." data-pwa-id="pwa-FDD61C12E5DEEC48E3AC781B77FCCBB8" data-pwa-rule-id="PASSIVE_VOICE" data-pwa-suggestions="">be kept</pwa> up off the floor to avoid water damage. This week Sydney got
some <pwa class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done" data-pwa-category="style" data-pwa-dictionary-word="absolutely " data-pwa-heavy="false" data-pwa-hint="Readability may be enhanced by removing this" data-pwa-id="pwa-389ED6B7304C5CEDD6C4D457B125A4C4" data-pwa-rule-id="READABILITY_2264" data-pwa-suggestions="(omit)">absolutely </pwa>absurd amounts of rainfall and even the things off the floor
were not safe. It took me some days to get brave enough to open the door to
check on the damage. But yesterday, I got around to it and amassed a pile of
stuff that needs to <pwa class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done" data-pwa-category="style" data-pwa-dictionary-word="be thrown" data-pwa-heavy="false" data-pwa-hint="Passive verbs make your writing less direct. Try to use an active verb instead." data-pwa-id="pwa-35D115086DE06B52386EBCA01FA71828" data-pwa-rule-id="PASSIVE_VOICE" data-pwa-suggestions="">be thrown</pwa> out. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
A lot of the things are electrical
and should not <pwa class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done" data-pwa-category="style" data-pwa-dictionary-word="be put" data-pwa-heavy="false" data-pwa-hint="Passive verbs make your writing less direct. Try to use an active verb instead." data-pwa-id="pwa-1A232A316CAA0E0F7C83456EE3AB4B45" data-pwa-rule-id="PASSIVE_VOICE" data-pwa-suggestions="">be put</pwa> out in the standard garbage collection.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
So, to cut a long story short, I filled
the station wagon with old electrical items and various other things, rusted aerosol
cans, fire extinguishers and a lone gas bottle - the barbeque went in the trash
long ago<pwa class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done" data-pwa-category="grammar" data-pwa-dictionary-word=" – " data-pwa-heavy="false" data-pwa-hint="En-dashes should never have a space on either side." data-pwa-id="pwa-0EF9EF49BC63F8C07DA2CAEBC28B2A9C" data-pwa-rule-id="EN_DASH_SPACING" data-pwa-suggestions="–~—"> – </pwa>and a collection of soft plastics that also can’t go in the normal
recycling bin.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
Today, I headed off to my local E-waste
depot. I drove in, opened the door and the guy came to help me unload. I made
some small talk about how I had a few things to get done today.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
What I did not know was that as I drove
one of the fire extinguishers rolled and the pin fell out of it. He reached in
to pick it up by the handles and compressed the firing mechanism.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
A cloud of white dust <pwa class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done" data-pwa-category="spelling" data-pwa-dictionary-word="floofed" data-pwa-heavy="false" data-pwa-hint="Unknown word: floofed" data-pwa-id="pwa-87A56EECF2ED8839DEED7A4438A462B5" data-pwa-rule-id="SIMPLE_SPELLING" data-pwa-suggestions="flooded~floored">floofed</pwa> voluminously
out the open door of my car.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
We stood there. We looked at each
other.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
He gave me a nervous smile. “Well,”
he said, “There’s another job for you.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
I laughed; you’ve <pwa class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done" data-pwa-category="spelling" data-pwa-dictionary-word="gotta" data-pwa-heavy="false" data-pwa-hint="Unknown word: gotta" data-pwa-id="pwa-04DFBC4BEC976306D462C5936CDB36DF" data-pwa-rule-id="SIMPLE_SPELLING" data-pwa-suggestions="got to">gotta</pwa> laugh. I mean,
it was an accident. I will not freak out over it. And I’m lucky it didn’t
go off while I was driving.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
But <pwa class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done" data-pwa-category="style" data-pwa-dictionary-word="the entire car interior is coated" data-pwa-heavy="false" data-pwa-hint="Passive verbs make your writing less direct. Try to use an active verb instead." data-pwa-id="pwa-7285C248B16BA4942E7CDAD45830F62A" data-pwa-rule-id="PASSIVE_VOICE_TO_ACTIVE" data-pwa-suggestions="it coats the entire car interior~they coat the entire car interior~I coat the entire car interior~we coat the entire car interior~it coat the entire car interior">the entire car interior is coated</pwa>
in the stuff. And me, once I got back in the car to drive home.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
Sighs. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<br /></div>
Anne-Maree Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10093653923045713331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417704976781944030.post-20927710187656815472020-02-11T16:15:00.000+11:002020-02-11T16:15:31.427+11:00My version of the trolley problem<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Reusing books is a trendy thing at the moment, but it makes me freak out a little; they are destroying a book! I know maybe nobody wants that book, it might </span><pwa class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done" data-pwa-category="style" data-pwa-dictionary-word="be damaged" data-pwa-heavy="false" data-pwa-hint="Passive verbs make your writing less direct. Try to use an active verb instead." data-pwa-id="pwa-6F8BEB893249C79A2D0B6D9D3A10C8D4" data-pwa-rule-id="PASSIVE_VOICE" data-pwa-suggestions="" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">be damaged</pwa><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> or old, and the new product might be art, or something useful… but </span><pwa class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done" data-pwa-category="spelling" data-pwa-dictionary-word="aaargh" data-pwa-heavy="false" data-pwa-hint="Unknown word: aaargh" data-pwa-id="pwa-65C816D1F37201415C28C0EB01B5369A" data-pwa-rule-id="SIMPLE_SPELLING" data-pwa-suggestions="aargh" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">aaargh</pwa><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">. It just feels </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">wrong</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">One of my book suppliers is the lifeline charity sale where they sell titles for one or two dollars each. I take along my wheeled shopping trolley like a proper book granny. The other source is the sale trolley at the library; three books for a dollar. Bargain. And already covered in plastic and labelled with the genre. Bonus.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I think of it as my <pwa class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done" data-pwa-category="style" data-pwa-dictionary-word="own " data-pwa-heavy="false" data-pwa-hint="Readability may be enhanced by removing this" data-pwa-id="pwa-1E4EE4D6D708FF9911C442979F73A38D" data-pwa-rule-id="READABILITY_2754" data-pwa-suggestions="(omit)">own </pwa>version of the trolley problem; <pwa class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done" data-pwa-category="style" data-pwa-dictionary-word="it can be summarised" data-pwa-heavy="false" data-pwa-hint="Passive verbs make your writing less direct. Try to use an active verb instead." data-pwa-id="pwa-A1CECEBBC2BF9926CD49819C6CF02F44" data-pwa-rule-id="PASSIVE_VOICE_TO_ACTIVE" data-pwa-suggestions="we can summarise it~I can summarise it">it can be summarised</pwa> as 'too many books, so few hands' to carry them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Recently, I have understood that part of who I am is using those hands to make things. Often textile things: sew, knit, crochet, cross stitch, <pwa class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done" data-pwa-category="grammar" data-pwa-dictionary-word="patchwork," data-pwa-heavy="false" data-pwa-hint="Possible unnecessary comma. Do you need this comma?" data-pwa-id="pwa-C0508C20AD8999A734D510E95EAF66E4" data-pwa-rule-id="COMMA_CHECK" data-pwa-suggestions="patchwork">patchwork,</pwa> quilt, weave, spin, and embroider ... you ask, I've probably given it a go.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">When I lived in <pwa class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done" data-pwa-category="grammar" data-pwa-dictionary-word="Indonesia" data-pwa-heavy="false" data-pwa-hint="Missing comma after subordinate clause" data-pwa-id="pwa-0C5E73173CE3A61D7C1560D8C4FB5BC1" data-pwa-rule-id="SUB_CLAUSE_2" data-pwa-suggestions="Indonesia,">Indonesia</pwa> it was a little harder to do that kind of work given the tropical weather. And who needs knitted jumpers when it’s 32C every single day?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">So I side stepped into doing paperwork and scrapbooking. As a child I used to do calligraphy and water colour. I can remember being given a hardback copy of Edith Holden's Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady. $$<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">And it was life changing. Her scrapbook filled with little sketches in the corner and twee little stories about going for a walk and seeing a robin or whatever. I desperately tried to replicate it, but to no avail. I'm blaming my childhood - what were my diary entries? I read a book, walked to the railway station to catch a train to school, fought with my brother - riveting stuff.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Ooh maybe I just wanted to BE an Edwardian lady of leisure? [looks at current life - huh]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">But I digress, so not only do I have a pile of scissors and paper from scrapbooking, but I also have a store of paints, coloured inks and pen nibs, and a vague idea of how to use them. I used to write out book quotes I liked or poems on A3 sheets of art paper purloined from my mother's classroom, and I’d give them to my friends as gifts. [I was such a weird kid.]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I often say the internet is a journey of a thousand clicks and one of those clicks led me to a Pinterest page for re-using hardback books. There seems to be two options: as a <pwa class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done" data-pwa-category="grammar" data-pwa-dictionary-word="common place" data-pwa-heavy="false" data-pwa-hint="Should this be hyphenated?" data-pwa-id="pwa-84729EBBF85434ECC304C153BBE6C77C" data-pwa-rule-id="HYPHEN_ADJ" data-pwa-suggestions="common-place">common place</pwa> book where you write on the original page after <pwa class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done" data-pwa-category="spelling" data-pwa-dictionary-word="modge" data-pwa-heavy="false" data-pwa-hint="Unknown word: modge" data-pwa-id="pwa-0537CEF275505781AF32C545DADCD5B9" data-pwa-rule-id="SIMPLE_SPELLING" data-pwa-suggestions="lodge~mode~midge~dodge~Modge">modge</pwa> <pwa class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done" data-pwa-category="spelling" data-pwa-dictionary-word="podging" data-pwa-heavy="false" data-pwa-hint="Unknown word: podging" data-pwa-id="pwa-67C1FA2E42B21BFC4C9BE51AC487084A" data-pwa-rule-id="SIMPLE_SPELLING" data-pwa-suggestions="lodging~dodging">podging</pwa> it to white death, or if you cut out all the actual print pages, as a folder to hold books you tie inside, or if you are <pwa class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done" data-pwa-category="style" data-pwa-dictionary-word="really " data-pwa-heavy="false" data-pwa-hint="Readability may be enhanced by removing this" data-pwa-id="pwa-6790E8BAD9C4C4F1273DED0A632AD6E3" data-pwa-rule-id="READABILITY_2264" data-pwa-suggestions="(omit)">really </pwa>natty, you stitch your hand made pages into the empty <pwa class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done" data-pwa-category="grammar" data-pwa-dictionary-word="book case" data-pwa-heavy="false" data-pwa-hint="Possible confused word" data-pwa-id="pwa-DF1013964FC704F3B8F81339F4449AA0" data-pwa-rule-id="COMBINE_2" data-pwa-suggestions="bookcase">book case</pwa> with some simple book stitching methods. [stitching? NO, brain!]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">And it just resurrected all that Edith Holden love.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">So at my yoga class, instead of lying in my meditation pose and clearing my brain, I am planning how I could make one of these. And sorting through my paper stash, trying to remember what rubber stamps I have. Do I have some old green ink? Maybe... what stickers could go with it? Wait up; I used to order themed sets each month from some lady in Queensland, where did I put those?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I guess it was relaxing. I can hear Andy Puddicombe from Headspace reciting patiently, ‘if the brain wanders off just bring it back again.’<pwa class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done" data-pwa-category="grammar" data-pwa-dictionary-word="]" data-pwa-heavy="false" data-pwa-hint="You have a closing bracket without an opening one." data-pwa-id="pwa-3E02665D731E9A9B2631FC30C5772D6B" data-pwa-rule-id="STRUCTURED_PUNCTUATION" data-pwa-suggestions="">]</pwa><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">*crash tackles brain, head locks it, drags it back to the yoga mat*<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">But this also sets my brain up for a WAR.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Books. I adore books. I hold them to my chest with love and adoration. In one of the Pinterest <pwa class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done" data-pwa-category="grammar" data-pwa-dictionary-word="‘" data-pwa-heavy="false" data-pwa-hint="Make sure that all of the quotations and brackets in this paragraph are closed." data-pwa-id="pwa-C1B1C67534BD88E373D5EF1337C33C53" data-pwa-rule-id="STRUCTURED_PUNCTUATION" data-pwa-suggestions="">‘</pwa>how to articles’, a woman used a copy of a <pwa class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done" data-pwa-category="grammar" data-pwa-dictionary-word="hard back" data-pwa-heavy="false" data-pwa-hint="Possible confused word" data-pwa-id="pwa-34B683D3278122E05C20AD458E7274EB" data-pwa-rule-id="COMBINE_2" data-pwa-suggestions="hardback">hard back</pwa> book titled Katherine. I noticed the Catherine wheels on the cover in a coat of arms. The coat of arms John of Gaunt had made for a common woman because he loved her so much. [Have I read it? <pwa class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done" data-pwa-category="grammar" data-pwa-dictionary-word="oh" data-pwa-heavy="false" data-pwa-hint="Missing capitalization at the start of a sentence" data-pwa-id="pwa-5DFD5887F55D56B41052847DACFEBB70" data-pwa-rule-id="MISSING_CAP_START" data-pwa-suggestions="Oh">oh</pwa> yes... many times]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">It's old, the woman in the post says, printed in 1954.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">What??? I run off to Goodreads. <pwa class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done" data-pwa-category="style" data-pwa-dictionary-word="The title was released" data-pwa-heavy="false" data-pwa-hint="Passive verbs make your writing less direct. Try to use an active verb instead." data-pwa-id="pwa-AEE14EA31542E8E2809A756033593DEF" data-pwa-rule-id="PASSIVE_VOICE_TO_ACTIVE" data-pwa-suggestions="I released the title~They released the title~It released the title">The title was released</pwa> in 1954. Dear God, is she chopping up a first edition of Anya Seton's Katherine???! <pwa class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done" data-pwa-category="spelling" data-pwa-dictionary-word="Eeek" data-pwa-heavy="false" data-pwa-hint="Unknown word: Eeek" data-pwa-id="pwa-544B2675C13DCF06301844302A229DDA" data-pwa-rule-id="SIMPLE_SPELLING" data-pwa-suggestions="Reek~Week~Seek~Zeek~Geek">Eeek</pwa>!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Hyperventilates - oh no, that poor book, this is a tragedy. It could be worth a fortune.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Calm down, brain. One, it's done. You can't rescue it. Two, is it even worth anything? [No, do NOT go look that up] Seton probably had a huge first print run, she was such a popular author ... breathe...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">So, if you can, imagine how I will react to cutting up an <b>actual book with my own two hands</b>? [It <pwa class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done" data-pwa-category="style" data-pwa-dictionary-word="is not going to" data-pwa-heavy="false" data-pwa-hint="Readability may be enhanced by using: will not" data-pwa-id="pwa-99A9AB61020ED6695B092D47BAF6AB01" data-pwa-rule-id="READABILITY_1664" data-pwa-suggestions="will not">is not going to</pwa> be pretty.]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">The train of thought goes like this: I will get a book that nobody wants, from the charity store, or the library. <pwa class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done" data-pwa-category="grammar" data-pwa-dictionary-word="ah" data-pwa-heavy="false" data-pwa-hint="Missing capitalization at the start of a sentence" data-pwa-id="pwa-967A9D8235F9E4E107621387D2BA6B72" data-pwa-rule-id="MISSING_CAP_START" data-pwa-suggestions="Ah">ah</pwa> ha?! I shall raid the sale trolley.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Quick walk to the library. I find a few hardcover options of a certain size, and for my one dollar I end up with a copy of Saladin Ahmed's Crescent Moon [to READ - as if I’d chop that up?], a Christopher Ondaatje novel The Last Colonial [I had a flashback to an English lady in Jakarta insulting me by calling me a colonial - hisses - it also has these creepy weird illustrations so it might be okay to cut up?] and a Time Life tome on Russian history in the time of War and Peace.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">The colonial book is rare according to Goodreads... sighs... dammit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">But I feel quite at ease chopping up a <pwa class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done" data-pwa-category="grammar" data-pwa-dictionary-word="Time Life" data-pwa-heavy="false" data-pwa-hint="Should this be hyphenated?" data-pwa-id="pwa-443155DFF4AAB7DE1155D5E60C81A807" data-pwa-rule-id="HYPHEN_ADJ" data-pwa-suggestions="Time-Life">Time Life</pwa> book. I shall cover the eyes of all the Time Life art books on my shelves so they don't witness the murder.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Maybe I should just ask the library if they are throwing any reference books out. And then I could bury the book harm vibes more easily? I got it out of the trash.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">But that would mean another walk to the library... oh no.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I shall try to stay away from the sale trolley.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<u>Links:<o:p></o:p></u></div>
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$$ <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Edith Holden's country Diary of an Edwardian Lady<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Country-Diary-Edwardian-Lady/dp/1586631152">https://www.<pwa class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done" data-pwa-category="spelling" data-pwa-dictionary-word="amazon.com" data-pwa-heavy="false" data-pwa-hint="Incorrect named entity spelling: amazon.com" data-pwa-id="pwa-BB6559899EBA93BEFB093C4B3150EBA6" data-pwa-rule-id="SIMPLE_SPELLING" data-pwa-suggestions="Amazon.com">amazon.com</pwa>/Country-Diary-Edwardian-Lady/dp/1586631152</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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Anne-Maree Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10093653923045713331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417704976781944030.post-36931557041380092512020-02-05T13:11:00.000+11:002020-02-05T13:11:31.311+11:00Imposter syndrome<h1 style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<br /></h1>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">A while ago, I was
listening to Adrienne Bell and Eliza Peake chatting on the Misfit’s guide to
writing Indie romance podcast.<pwa class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done" data-pwa-category="grammar" data-pwa-dictionary-word=" %" data-pwa-heavy="false" data-pwa-hint="The punctuation mark '%' may not require a space before it. Consider removing the space." data-pwa-id="pwa-9C7897C7CFB1D7F0D1B115D7D0F3927C" data-pwa-rule-id="WHITESPACE" data-pwa-suggestions="%"> %</pwa>%<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Honestly, podcasts are
my new drug. So many to listen to, so little time…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">But at any rate,
Adrienne was talking about how she had set herself a large goal for 2020. She aimed
to write half a million words, and she was <pwa class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done" data-pwa-category="style" data-pwa-dictionary-word="really " data-pwa-heavy="false" data-pwa-hint="Readability may be enhanced by removing this" data-pwa-id="pwa-CE3413DAE031E8F9591D02088D8DD305" data-pwa-rule-id="READABILITY_2264" data-pwa-suggestions="(omit)">really </pwa>nervous about hitting that
target. And she thought some other people might have the same issue. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">In the spirit of
supporting each other, and accountability and all <pwa class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done" data-pwa-category="grammar" data-pwa-dictionary-word="those kind" data-pwa-heavy="false" data-pwa-hint="Possible confused word" data-pwa-id="pwa-81A964F8F090898EB78E4937637E1219" data-pwa-rule-id="THIS_NNS" data-pwa-suggestions="this kind~those kinds">those kind</pwa> of phrases, she
set up a group for it. Pick your own target. Pick your own method: plot/<pwa class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done" data-pwa-category="spelling" data-pwa-dictionary-word="pantser" data-pwa-heavy="false" data-pwa-hint="Unknown word: pantser" data-pwa-id="pwa-D79738C7DDB1545D38DF69569B340E9B" data-pwa-rule-id="SIMPLE_SPELLING" data-pwa-suggestions="panther~pantler">pantser</pwa>,
daily writing/weekends only<pwa class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done" data-pwa-category="grammar" data-pwa-dictionary-word=" …" data-pwa-heavy="false" data-pwa-hint="The punctuation mark '…' may not require a space before it. Consider removing the space." data-pwa-id="pwa-F8B56F93C608A128A5CBF2582C75D856" data-pwa-rule-id="WHITESPACE" data-pwa-suggestions="…"> …</pwa> whatever works for you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The symbol is a cute
tortoise<pwa class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done" data-pwa-category="grammar" data-pwa-dictionary-word=" – " data-pwa-heavy="false" data-pwa-hint="En-dashes should never have a space on either side." data-pwa-id="pwa-ECABAE74CCACFF37098D5BE1CAFAF313" data-pwa-rule-id="EN_DASH_SPACING" data-pwa-suggestions="–~—"> – </pwa>slow and steady<pwa class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done" data-pwa-category="grammar" data-pwa-dictionary-word=" – " data-pwa-heavy="false" data-pwa-hint="En-dashes should never have a space on either side." data-pwa-id="pwa-B9DDEA719063497E1780826D198C15FD" data-pwa-rule-id="EN_DASH_SPACING" data-pwa-suggestions="–~—"> – </pwa>and you join by invitation only.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">It’s called Write <pwa class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done" data-pwa-category="spelling" data-pwa-dictionary-word="Hella Words" data-pwa-heavy="false" data-pwa-hint="Incorrect named entity spelling: Hella Words" data-pwa-id="pwa-A04C370D3FD02B0C89F6E0756A234837" data-pwa-rule-id="SIMPLE_SPELLING" data-pwa-suggestions="Della Woods">Hella
Words</pwa>^^ and is a slack channel. [Not Facebook<pwa class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done" data-pwa-category="grammar" data-pwa-dictionary-word=" – " data-pwa-heavy="false" data-pwa-hint="En-dashes should never have a space on either side." data-pwa-id="pwa-5DFC244CD8ED2906BEB406B387F33869" data-pwa-rule-id="EN_DASH_SPACING" data-pwa-suggestions="–~—"> – </pwa>thank GOD. I hate FB with the
passion of a thousand suns.]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Before I had time to
talk myself out of it, I sent her an email and asked to join.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">And she said <pwa class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done" data-pwa-category="grammar" data-pwa-dictionary-word="‘" data-pwa-heavy="false" data-pwa-hint="Make sure that all of the quotations and brackets in this paragraph are closed." data-pwa-id="pwa-A7F084B6F25B576FFC0897B96F79E69C" data-pwa-rule-id="STRUCTURED_PUNCTUATION" data-pwa-suggestions="">‘</pwa>yes’.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">What on earth was wrong with me?</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> I’m in a writing group with people and I buy their
books! Rachael Herron, Sophie Littlefield and Adrienne Bell… and my brain keeps
shouting at me:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">YOU DO NOT BELONG HERE.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">So I’ve got a massive
dose of imposter syndrome. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><pwa class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done" data-pwa-category="grammar" data-pwa-dictionary-word="[ " data-pwa-heavy="false" data-pwa-hint="The punctuation mark '[' may not require a space after it. Consider removing the space." data-pwa-id="pwa-0A17828E91CFC2C7187DB9E4BC76E7E8" data-pwa-rule-id="WHITESPACE" data-pwa-suggestions="[">[ </pwa>Imposter is one of
those words that confuses me: is it impostor OR imposter? I get it wrong, every
time. Wait… is it both?]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">But I digress… now the
thing with half a million words is that it’s not only a lot of words; it is <b>a lot of books</b>. A romance novel is
anything from 40k<pwa class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done" data-pwa-category="grammar" data-pwa-dictionary-word=" – " data-pwa-heavy="false" data-pwa-hint="En-dashes should never have a space on either side." data-pwa-id="pwa-F6D265F2168F03154B7522C97613DD54" data-pwa-rule-id="EN_DASH_SPACING" data-pwa-suggestions="–~—"> – </pwa>100k according to all the definitions. A thriller about 55-80k.
So<pwa class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done" data-pwa-category="grammar" data-pwa-dictionary-word=" – " data-pwa-heavy="false" data-pwa-hint="En-dashes should never have a space on either side." data-pwa-id="pwa-473196D65AAAF03F8EFE7C4E54AE127C" data-pwa-rule-id="EN_DASH_SPACING" data-pwa-suggestions="–~—"> – </pwa>if you do the math<pwa class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done" data-pwa-category="grammar" data-pwa-dictionary-word=" – " data-pwa-heavy="false" data-pwa-hint="En-dashes should never have a space on either side." data-pwa-id="pwa-03A47CB0B51D71A851EC6EC5713DF9D5" data-pwa-rule-id="EN_DASH_SPACING" data-pwa-suggestions="–~—"> – </pwa>500k is 10-12 small books or five biggish ones.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">It’s a LOT, okay? Like a
whole series of books.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">So I spent some time
working out which stories to write and setting up a system which hopefully
works to write them all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I’m shooting for six
books, so I guess that gives me two months to complete each one. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">And it’s already
February.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Wails: “I’m a fake; I shouldn’t
be in this group.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Excellent, thanks
brain. Good to know its situation normal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Links:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">%% </span><a href="http://themisfitsguidepodcast.com/">http://themisfitsguidepodcast.com/</a><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
^^ <a href="https://www.writehellawords.com/blog">https://www.writehellawords.com/blog</a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anne-Maree Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10093653923045713331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417704976781944030.post-80779739719784439542020-01-31T15:13:00.000+11:002020-01-31T15:13:13.459+11:00Staying alive… ha… ha… ha… ha…<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">On my <pwa class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done" data-pwa-category="spelling" data-pwa-dictionary-word="Todoist" data-pwa-heavy="false" data-pwa-hint="Unknown word: Todoist" data-pwa-id="pwa-96EC1B1A4A96E6BAA95C2360A455F868" data-pwa-rule-id="SIMPLE_SPELLING" data-pwa-suggestions="taste~trust~oldest~utmost~eldest">Todoist</pwa> list this
week it says ‘apply <pwa class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done" data-pwa-category="grammar" data-pwa-dictionary-word="cpr" data-pwa-heavy="false" data-pwa-hint="Possible missing determiner" data-pwa-id="pwa-33E0B70DDB74007509EFAEF6641329E8" data-pwa-rule-id="DET_CG_2" data-pwa-suggestions="a cpr~the cpr">cpr</pwa> to website’. It’s my fault it is not alive. I know
that. My last post was like March 2019. *makes a face*<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">But that reminder came
up today<pwa class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done" data-pwa-category="grammar" data-pwa-dictionary-word=" – " data-pwa-heavy="false" data-pwa-hint="En-dashes should never have a space on either side." data-pwa-id="pwa-49250939C2D32C7E75E0B9FC0C892D9B" data-pwa-rule-id="EN_DASH_SPACING" data-pwa-suggestions="–~—"> – </pwa>thanks, past self - and I am determined to post something. Even if
it is a ramble about how unreliable I am.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">It’s always hard to get
things going again; so much easier to keep them going once they are rolling
along. Insert flywheel analogy or stone, moss… you know the rest.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">In 2019 I had a tech
disaster. My hard drive died, and in a series of miscalculations including reliance
on tech friends, rather than professionals… no, that’s not <pwa class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done" data-pwa-category="style" data-pwa-dictionary-word="quite " data-pwa-heavy="false" data-pwa-hint="Readability may be enhanced by removing this" data-pwa-id="pwa-44267D969070E871FD247F79F73A3E9C" data-pwa-rule-id="READABILITY_464" data-pwa-suggestions="(omit)">quite </pwa>right. He IS a
pro, he’s just the friend of one of my kids and I did not make it very high up his
priority list. I understand that. He put his business first<pwa class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done" data-pwa-category="grammar" data-pwa-dictionary-word=" – " data-pwa-heavy="false" data-pwa-hint="En-dashes should never have a space on either side." data-pwa-id="pwa-1A344C7AF535E86679494C77C481DEF8" data-pwa-rule-id="EN_DASH_SPACING" data-pwa-suggestions="–~—"> – </pwa>like I should
have, eh?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">It took <i>weeks</i> to even get him to check it out. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">And in the weeks that
stretched into months while I was waiting for everything to <pwa class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done" data-pwa-category="style" data-pwa-dictionary-word="be repaired" data-pwa-heavy="false" data-pwa-hint="Passive verbs make your writing less direct. Try to use an active verb instead." data-pwa-id="pwa-5113EB050F84EC5AAFE658CA2426A931" data-pwa-rule-id="PASSIVE_VOICE" data-pwa-suggestions="">be repaired</pwa>, I kind
of let things slide, getting more and more stressed all the time, which is not conducive
to being creative.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">And given the tech pro
did not want to impart bad news to me, I thought the disk was recoverable. Miscommunications
all round. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">It <pwa class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done" data-pwa-category="style" data-pwa-dictionary-word="was not able to" data-pwa-heavy="false" data-pwa-hint="Readability may be enhanced by using: could not" data-pwa-id="pwa-922B5C12087DABBC2A61C94A5E207A6C" data-pwa-rule-id="READABILITY_1844" data-pwa-suggestions="could not">was not able to</pwa> <pwa class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done" data-pwa-category="style" data-pwa-dictionary-word="be saved" data-pwa-heavy="false" data-pwa-hint="Passive verbs make your writing less direct. Try to use an active verb instead." data-pwa-id="pwa-6CF3A5360F476003FE95131FC97DDF9C" data-pwa-rule-id="PASSIVE_VOICE" data-pwa-suggestions="">be
saved</pwa>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">By the time *I* worked
that out, [can you imagine how stressed I was by this time?] I just gave up on
the pro and purchased a new solid state hard drive large enough to handle those
enormous Scrivener files. [Scrivener I love you but jeez those files can be
huge.] Kid extra installed it for me. [We went solid state because Australia <pwa class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done" data-pwa-category="style" data-pwa-dictionary-word="is only going to" data-pwa-heavy="false" data-pwa-hint="Readability may be enhanced by using: will only" data-pwa-id="pwa-83F52C85F8352B6E1E86D98B8BC7BC6F" data-pwa-rule-id="READABILITY_1482" data-pwa-suggestions="will only">is
only going to</pwa> be getting hotter and heat isn’t good for tech.]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">And I happily went to
plug in my external hard drive to copy all my data across… and <b>nope</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">My external hard drive
was dead; <pwa class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done" data-pwa-category="spelling" data-pwa-dictionary-word="unrecoverably" data-pwa-heavy="false" data-pwa-hint="Unknown word: unrecoverably" data-pwa-id="pwa-B509739DEC5BC2A656EA988E74D1AEAC" data-pwa-rule-id="SIMPLE_SPELLING" data-pwa-suggestions="unrecoverable">unrecoverably</pwa> dead, wouldn’t even turn <pwa class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done" data-pwa-category="grammar" data-pwa-dictionary-word="on" data-pwa-heavy="false" data-pwa-hint="Missing determiner" data-pwa-id="pwa-20ACA8F5E600940237F7C347C66C1331" data-pwa-rule-id="DET_PREP" data-pwa-suggestions="an on">on</pwa> <pwa class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done" data-pwa-category="grammar" data-pwa-dictionary-word="kind" data-pwa-heavy="false" data-pwa-hint="Possible missing determiner" data-pwa-id="pwa-EDE59C0F7FD805513984BA61E5D04320" data-pwa-rule-id="DET_CG_2" data-pwa-suggestions="a kind~the kind">kind</pwa> of dead. What are the
odds? I mean, I know I have an issue with tech, but<pwa class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done" data-pwa-category="grammar" data-pwa-dictionary-word=" …" data-pwa-heavy="false" data-pwa-hint="The punctuation mark '…' may not require a space before it. Consider removing the space." data-pwa-id="pwa-289617EC3C90C2BFCD624B0CA4276B7E" data-pwa-rule-id="WHITESPACE" data-pwa-suggestions="…"> …</pwa> really? [Seagate, I <pwa class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done" data-pwa-category="style" data-pwa-dictionary-word="do NOT like" data-pwa-heavy="false" data-pwa-hint="Readability may be enhanced by using: dislike" data-pwa-id="pwa-952960F54D22820874D32681535C3347" data-pwa-rule-id="READABILITY_2385" data-pwa-suggestions="dislike">do NOT
like</pwa> you.]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Sighs heavily.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I had made a backup
onto one of the kid’s external hard drive, so I didn’t lose everything. If I had
lost the last 25 years of digital <pwa class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done" data-pwa-category="grammar" data-pwa-dictionary-word="photos" data-pwa-heavy="false" data-pwa-hint="Missing comma after subordinate clause" data-pwa-id="pwa-3F51CDE27737DDACAD7F47E40E0F25EA" data-pwa-rule-id="SUB_CLAUSE_2" data-pwa-suggestions="photos,">photos</pwa> I may have burnt something down. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I’ve just lost the last two years</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">. Finance records, databases of dvds, music and books,
words written, books purchased, email addresses, contact details for friends, permission
from people to use their images for book covers, etc. All gone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I sobbed.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">So far as my writing
goes, sure, there are docs in Google, scrivener backups to zip files, and docs
in Evernote and more stuff here there and everywhere. The cloud is <pwa class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done" data-pwa-category="style" data-pwa-dictionary-word="pretty " data-pwa-heavy="false" data-pwa-hint="Readability may be enhanced by removing this" data-pwa-id="pwa-86FEC22448BDADCAB5A6F18FC04A8818" data-pwa-rule-id="READABILITY_464" data-pwa-suggestions="(omit)">pretty </pwa>good
when something like this happens.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Half the issue is the
sheer amount of hours it takes to <b>work
out what is even missing</b>. I <pwa class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done" data-pwa-category="style" data-pwa-dictionary-word="am seriously going to" data-pwa-heavy="false" data-pwa-hint="Readability may be enhanced by using: will seriously" data-pwa-id="pwa-84320A24A8428259953CD186DBE0DA9A" data-pwa-rule-id="READABILITY_1482" data-pwa-suggestions="will seriously">am seriously going to</pwa> <pwa class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done" data-pwa-category="style" data-pwa-dictionary-word="have to " data-pwa-heavy="false" data-pwa-hint="Readability may be enhanced by removing this" data-pwa-id="pwa-C1FECABF4A12ABC59D097BA131D56AFD" data-pwa-rule-id="READABILITY_739" data-pwa-suggestions="(omit)">have to </pwa>go through my
Goodreads list to work out what books I have lost. I get a lot of copies
through ARC teams, or promotions, or direct from authors. I am trying to
message people in Kickstarter to get new download links to things I purchased.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">It takes longer to
<pwa class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done" data-pwa-category="style" data-pwa-dictionary-word="start fixing" data-pwa-heavy="false" data-pwa-hint="Readability may be enhanced by using: fix" data-pwa-id="pwa-FF86E7EF61E75F41EFBFE6B69826D19E" data-pwa-rule-id="READABILITY_712" data-pwa-suggestions="fix">start fixing</pwa> it all when my inner critical voice is telling me what an idiot I am.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">So here I am.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I am an idiot. That’s
done; we’ve got that out of the way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I can hear J Thorn
saying ‘if your backups are not in THREE different places, your data does not
exist.’ I read Joanna Penn’s daily back up regime and thought ‘that’s <pwa class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done" data-pwa-category="style" data-pwa-dictionary-word="a bit " data-pwa-heavy="false" data-pwa-hint="Readability may be enhanced by removing this" data-pwa-id="pwa-EEEC819404F553EA5393205F0AAB72A2" data-pwa-rule-id="READABILITY_449" data-pwa-suggestions="(omit)">a bit
</pwa>over the top’. She lists it in her latest title: Productivity for Authors. [</span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48561019-productivity-for-authors">https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48561019-productivity-for-authors</a>]<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 1.0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I write in Scrivener but every single day I <pwa class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done" data-pwa-category="grammar" data-pwa-dictionary-word="write," data-pwa-heavy="false" data-pwa-hint="Possible comma splice." data-pwa-id="pwa-29F0570A6D401A28D51FD11CAE9210DA" data-pwa-rule-id="COMMA_SPL" data-pwa-suggestions="write;">write,</pwa> I
compile a <pwa class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done" data-pwa-category="spelling" data-pwa-dictionary-word="MSWord" data-pwa-heavy="false" data-pwa-hint="Unknown word: MSWord" data-pwa-id="pwa-B800DC59902D17D51E82A7B1F7400D2A" data-pwa-rule-id="SIMPLE_SPELLING" data-pwa-suggestions="The Sword~MS Word">MSWord</pwa> document of my work in progress (WIP). I save it with a date
and time stamp and keep all the iterations, so I end up with a Draft folder
with 50+ documents in. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 1.0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><pwa class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done" data-pwa-category="style" data-pwa-dictionary-word="This is called" data-pwa-heavy="false" data-pwa-hint="Passive verbs make your writing less direct. Try to use an active verb instead." data-pwa-id="pwa-67820ADE0D320248B7C74A549AF9FB13" data-pwa-rule-id="PASSIVE_VOICE_TO_ACTIVE" data-pwa-suggestions="I call this~We call this~They call this">This is called</pwa> version control. If you haven’t worked
in the corporate or tech world, you might not know about version control, but
basically, even if I lose one of these versions, I've got so many others over
time that I will never lose everything. I don’t go back and look at those older
drafts but if something happens, I won’t lose the whole project. I also email
the file to myself every day on Gmail so I always have another backup and I
save the Draft to a Dropbox folder in the cloud which syncs between
workstations. Even if my MacBook Pro gets stolen or blows up, everything is in
Dropbox. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I do this for every writing session, whether it’s
first draft or editing. Every time I touch the manuscript, I compile it, save
it to Dropbox, and email it to myself. Sometimes that is two or three times a
day during my intensive writing phases. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 1.0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I also keep backups on physical external hard drives
and save some important files to Amazon S3 cloud hosting, so I back up pretty
much everything multiple times to build in redundancy. I worked in the tech
industry for 13 years, so I know these things are necessary and saving too much
is better than losing it all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 1.0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 1.0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Penn, Joanna. Productivity For Authors: Find Time to
Write, Organize your Author Life, and Decide what Really Matters (Books for
Writers Book 10) (<pwa class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done" data-pwa-category="spelling" data-pwa-dictionary-word="pp" data-pwa-heavy="false" data-pwa-hint="Unknown word: pp" data-pwa-id="pwa-EDCBFEC3149DAF5FB7407D472BE7FD14" data-pwa-rule-id="SIMPLE_SPELLING" data-pwa-suggestions="pi~op~pg~pop~pa">pp</pwa>. 69-70). Curl Up Press. Kindle Edition.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">No, <pwa class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done" data-pwa-category="grammar" data-pwa-dictionary-word="no" data-pwa-heavy="false" data-pwa-hint="Missing comma after introductory phrase" data-pwa-id="pwa-E65DCBCA4BEE386228E23893CEBCE553" data-pwa-rule-id="INTRO_7B9E6BD019548379F748653B19127CC2" data-pwa-suggestions="no,">no</pwa> it isn’t over
the top. It seems like there might be less sobbing with this method.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I’m off to buy the
largest USB stick I can afford, and maybe a new external hard drive.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
Anne-Maree Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10093653923045713331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417704976781944030.post-26107707503787926932019-03-20T16:48:00.001+11:002019-03-20T16:48:34.265+11:00Not lost, just misplaced books<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="text-indent: 0in;">I saw some Twitter
people get upset with Marie Kondo when she recommended people give away books. Most
people just over reacted. She’s about keeping what brings you joy, and for me,
it’s books.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">I am
definitely in the 'keep them forever' camp. I have dragged them to fifty
different addresses and even to other countries. If I’ve read them, they stay;
I may want to read them again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">So my house
is a little bit crowded with bookcases. I have six in my bedroom alone. Kid
Extra caught me measuring in the hallway to just squeeze one more in. If I had
a design style it would maximal rather than minimal && but every item has
a memory or a story attached to it, and they bring me joy. Moving house? Not so
much.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">But I
digress. I have been trying to catch up on Tim Clare's podcasts. [So many
podcasts, so little time] I was up to the episode where he talks to Lauren
Groff.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Tim was
utterly fangirling; it was kind of adorable. I looked her up to see if my local
library have any of her works, and they do. She was on the Obama reading list
and those books often make it to Australian shelves. And then I realised that *I*
had one of her titles. The Monsters of Templeton. Ooh nice - but where is it? Buggered
if I know.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">I made an
extra bookshelf on my Goodreads page for ebooks. My shelf names are pretty
boring: did not finish, borrowed, ebook etc. Other members get far more
imaginative. So if it isn't an ebook, then it's a physical book and it must be
in my house somewhere but I have no recollection of where.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">I buy a lot
of books at the charity store sales where they are sold at one or two dollars
each, so it's easy to lose track when you are shelving a few at a time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">The cover on
Goodreads does NOT look familiar, I don't even remember the cover - it could be
an odd Aussie cover change. For some reason we often get different cover
treatments.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">sighs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Maybe it's
time to reorder them all? I shelve by size - trade paperbacks are the bane of
my life - they're so big. I can squeeze two extra shelves into an Ikea Billy
bookcase with mass market paperbacks. Should I go Dewey? Alphabetical? I do try
to put one author’s work together but that gets hard with people like Neil Gaiman
with everything from trade paperback, to children’s books, to huge coffee table
book size comics.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Sighs again.
It looks like I’m going to need more shelves.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Woot! Found
it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; text-indent: 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Links:</b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; text-indent: 0in;">
&& yes,
there is a maximalism design style. It kind of looks like Howl’s bedroom from
Howl’s moving Castle.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; text-indent: 0in;">
Death Of
1000 Cuts - Season 2 Episode 31 - <a href="https://soundcloud.com/timclare/death-of-1000-cuts-season-2-episode-31-chatting-with-lauren-groff" target="_blank">Chatting with Lauren Groff.</a><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<br />Anne-Maree Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10093653923045713331noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417704976781944030.post-42160200715985163512019-03-05T09:03:00.001+11:002019-03-05T09:03:11.614+11:00Gumption<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4vlAJOAmi249JEkuvVBQAk2CaPIOdTFe-dfxjaPADJiIv_GSZPmHodOiZg1Qk_BRF_tuTRdnMTyfHw7tVMIIJw4H0bvaqfdHj1zDtKTWJJQ8xmly2xMgqv9Y2R00RS9FW2_7AU3LpZ3xG/s1600/gumption.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4vlAJOAmi249JEkuvVBQAk2CaPIOdTFe-dfxjaPADJiIv_GSZPmHodOiZg1Qk_BRF_tuTRdnMTyfHw7tVMIIJw4H0bvaqfdHj1zDtKTWJJQ8xmly2xMgqv9Y2R00RS9FW2_7AU3LpZ3xG/s400/gumption.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU; mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shapetype id="_x0000_t75"
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</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">I've been doing the Mel Robbins #mindsetReset
challenge. I watched all the videos and I've continued to use her guide to
journal at the start of the day. One of the things you are to think about each
morning is 'what are you grateful for'. Now, there's a lot of science behind
this. Simply put, positive people are happier and attract more happiness. They
don't see a setback or a bad thing as an issue, and they don't get caught in
that downward spiral of negative thoughts. I have such a tendency to beat
myself up, after being trained to do so by a bad relationship. I’m out of that
but the thoughts remain. I’m trying to fix that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">She encourages you to pick a word for the year. Mine is gumption. I made
a cute sign out of my old scrapbooking supplies and used my Quickutz hand
cutter for the first time in ages. And it looks very cute. See. I like the way the word feels meaty in my mouth, you know?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">A person with gumption is shrewd, resourceful and full of initiative.
They have courage and common sense. As a bonus it implies not only that you
stick it out and get stuff done but that you <b>know </b>what the next thing to
do is.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Cambridge Definition: <i>the ability to decide what is the best thing to
do in a particular situation, and to do it with energy and determination.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="text-indent: 0in;">I posted it on Twitter and the Mel liked it. [squees. sempai noticed me.
lmao]</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Gratitude has to be really specific to work like this. It won't work if
you say you are grateful for your family, or your health, or something that's
too big to see clearly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">The other day I wrote that I was grateful for the young girl who chased
me down in the mall to hand me the book I had dropped. It was a library book,
too, Imagine? The cost of replacement alone would have been too much for me
that week. Libraries do not pay the RRP for titles. I have never lost a library
book in my life; the shame might kill me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">I'm thankful for CHOICE, a consumer product testing group whose advice I
took purchasing my coffee machine, which is still going strong after ten years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">I subscribe to a lot of author newsletters and recently it seems like
everyone has a death in the family. There's been at least six; some unexpected,
some long and dragging and in each case it has really derailed the author's
life, as it would, but they are often the executors, or the eldest child. The
one who is perceived to have the time to sort it out for everyone else. They
don't have a full time job, right?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">I don't believe anyone is lying about it. It's not a 'death delayed my
book release' kind of homework excuse. And because I read their posts, follow
them on Twitter, and watch their videos. I know their voice and they feel like
my friend. I trust them. They know that, and those kind of dumb lies get found
out pretty fast in this world of zero privacy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Today I wrote 'nobody close to me is dying'.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">And as I keep filling in the daily table, it gets easier to find things
to be grateful for.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">I've also challenged myself to do four exercise classes a week. My local
Police Community Youth Centre has been rebuilt. It's really close to my house,
so there goes one way to weasel out of classes. You derail a habit if it's too
hard to do. So proximity matters most. It doesn't cost a fortune to join, has a
bargain weekly fee, and doesn't have any of those crazy 'lock-in' contracts.
[man, an awful lot of consumer law arguments are with gyms over bad contracts]
I don't need a women only one, or one that supplies breakfast or free products
in the showers, or whatever. PCYC is close and cheap. That's a win for me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">And as an extra bonus everyone over 18 is a 'senior'. You should have
seen kid 3's face. Why am *I* a senior? That tickled me. We attend Pilates
classes together.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">I recently read the Upward Spiral. It was a library book - I am so grateful
for my local library.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">The full title is: The Upward Spiral: Using Neuroscience to Reverse the
Course of Depression, One Small Change at a Time by Alex Korb<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Whoa; that's a mouthful. But it was full of advice and science! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Quote: <i>Everything is interconnected. Gratitude improves sleep. Sleep
reduces pain. Reduced pain improves your mood. Improved mood reduces anxiety,
which improves focus and planning. Focus and planning help with decision
making. Decision making further reduces anxiety and improves enjoyment.
Enjoyment gives you more to be grateful for, which keeps that loop of the
upward spiral going. Enjoyment also makes it more likely you’ll exercise and be
social, which in turn, will make you happier. P.194</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">And the thing he said that was the best bang for your exercise buck was
Yoga; it had breath training, exercise, mindfulness, and if you went to a
class, social interaction. I had forgotten how much that is true until this
week after a month of attending classes, the instructor noted that I looked
tired and asked if I was okay. I fetched an extra block for the person next to
me. We all laughed at each other's attempts to balance on one leg in the
flamingo pose. We applauded when one person managed another pose standing with
their back against the wall.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">And in the yoga mindfulness section, the cute gym guy fell asleep and
snored. That made me smile, too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Tiny steps up the upward spiral but steps worth taking given I spend so
much time at my desk. I don't want it to be my kids suffering a death close to
them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">***<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">OMG I wrote this days ago, and this morning when I go to post it, the
news is all about the deaths of actor Luke Perry and Prodigy frontman Keith
Flint. Sighs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; text-indent: 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Links</span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; text-indent: 0in;">
My <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2647407523" target="_blank">GoodReads review</a> of Upward Spiral.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="text-indent: 0in;">Mel Robbins mindset reset <o:p></o:p></span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bgKfZWBU5w&list=PLhW2xUEb-B-aVYc90qot6GsJOvzPhkrco&index=36" style="text-indent: 0in;" target="_blank">YouTube</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; text-indent: 0in;">
Cambridge <a href="https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/gumption" target="_blank">Dictionary </a></div>
<br />Anne-Maree Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10093653923045713331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417704976781944030.post-26669407702273109422019-03-03T10:51:00.000+11:002019-03-03T10:51:59.350+11:00Blackouts and apocalypsesThis week we had an electricity
blackout.%% A big one. I was at the mall when alarms started going off; most
people ignored them. The local mall has a water leakage issue that constantly sets
off the fire alarms and we’ve all heard it before. They should just make a fire
engine parking space at the back entrance, but this time seemed different. The
supermarket was on quarter lighting, alarms were going off out the back, and
the staff rushed about shutting all the fridges and putting away all the deli
goods.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
This was serious. An announcement
said there would be further information but I grabbed my purchases and walked
home.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
At home, the power shut off as I came
in the door.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
Then it remained off.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
The entire region was out. An
estimated 26,000 homes, the traffic lights, the railway station, the local
hospital… <b>everything</b>. All we could hear in our front street was ambulance
sirens. Later, a friend in the police force said they had all available
ambulances ferrying patients to other hospitals.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
We have a gas stove, so with the
aid of a good old box of matches we could heat water and cook.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
But the internet was also
affected; all the nodes were down and our phones were useless.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
The cause was a fire in a
substation basement and the problem was that such fires release toxic
chemicals so no one could go in there until it cleared. Plus, no power for fans to clear the mess and no windows to open. It
seems like an obvious design fault, but still…<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
At about 5:30pm we got power back.
Kid 3 got a craving for a halal snack pack so we headed off to walk to the
local. Amazingly, it was open but it only takes cash and we had none. Trust the
ex-refugees to have a cash economy and a generator. All the first responders
know this and eat there.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
Everything else was dead; the pub,
the petrol station, all the ATM machines. A highway patrol officer was
directing traffic and had probably been doing it for hours. On our walk, we
noticed that none of our neighbours had lights on. Just us and our street. We
are close to the hospital and have formed a theory that we are inside its
service loop. [at my exercise class everyone else got the power back at 6:30 am the
next day]<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
‘This is how the apocalypse starts’,
I said to Kid 3. ‘First the internet goes, then the power, and no-one has any cash.
We’ll be reduced to a barter economy.’ We went home and cooked burgers.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
I cannot imagine how much food had
to be thrown away by the supermarkets.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
The electricity supplier is
begging people not to turn on high energy using appliances, but of course, it’s
on their webpage and nobody can read it. People with power won't bother and people without can't. It’s almost like they don’t understand
their own business.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
%% this was written on 15th February
but when the power DID come back on it fried all the internet nodes. We had no
internet for six days, no TV, no games, and no ability to post the blogpost I
had written. And then forgotten about. Honestly, my house nearly went feral. I
had to go to the library to keep up my 4theWords streak.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
So swings and roundabouts I guess.
We got power back early but lost the Internet.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Anne-Maree Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10093653923045713331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417704976781944030.post-23702771995852735932019-02-27T08:14:00.000+11:002019-02-27T08:14:02.931+11:00Thinky thoughts<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
I sat down yesterday to answer my
fanfic reviews, as I always do. And one just totally derailed me.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
It was a bit garbled, but I asked
kid 3 to read it and check if I was misinterpreting it.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
The reviewer berated me for not
adding another single word to the completed one shot they were reviewing. They suggested
that other authors gave me enough of an idea to write a one shot; an idea that those
authors then didn’t write for fear of being accused of plagiarism.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
They suggested that I had lost the
trust of authors who no longer used me as a sounding board and that was why I no
longer wrote anything. They accused me of having no ideas of my own.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
And they finished with ‘just a
thought’ which will usually enrage me. [what is it about that phrase that is
such a trigger?]<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
It took me ages to craft a
response. I wasn’t rude, or abusive.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
But looking at their message again
today, they meant to be that rude. They say they are a fan of mine, but I really
doubt it. And I don’t need fans like that.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Anne-Maree Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10093653923045713331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417704976781944030.post-75573303818203913182019-02-19T10:12:00.000+11:002019-02-19T10:12:01.991+11:00Crimson Peak is Bluebeard<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
I’ve been trying to rewrite
Bluebeard for years. I tentatively titled my work in progress ‘Bluebeard’s last
wife’. It was my Nanowrimo project back in 2013.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
I have read every version of the
fairy tale I could find: the original, the Anatole France one, Caroline
Wesson’s play, Henry Curwen’s Lady Bluebeard, and Bluebeard's Keys by Anne
Isabella Thackeray Ritchie, and more. I was annoyed by the moral of the story;
a wife’s curiosity is enough to cause her death. It grated at my feminist
principles.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
I recently read Angela Carter’s
two versions and that nearly derailed me but I wanted the last wife to save
herself, and in no version I found does she do that. In most she hides on the
roof and screams for help. Her brothers kill him, or her mother does, or he
lets her off and goes into a monastery.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
I wanted her to realise she loved
him but know that he was still a monster and if she didn’t kill him first, she
would be the next victim.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
I saw Crimson Peak in 2015 and loved
it. I bought a Funko Edith. She is my desk figurine as she was the only Funko
writer I could find. [Fix that, Funko. Also spoilers for the movie, obviously.]<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
This morning I was doing some Bluebeard
freewrites. I was riffing on moving it to a different time period. Carters’ is
20th century Paris, Ritchie’s 19th century Rome, mine was medieval. Could I
move it to a Gothic house and meld it with my love of Gothic Romances? I
thought about getting him to beg her for forgiveness. I thought about him
realising what he has become and asking her to end his life.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
Wait… this seems familiar.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Del Toro’s Crimson Peak is Bluebeard.<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
Sir Thomas Sharpe has multiple
wives. He married them for their money and doesn’t love them. He ignored them
and did not have sex with them. It is his sister who kills them but he is aware
of their fate. Their bodies are buried in or near the scary house. [So maybe it’s
Bluebeard plus Flowers in the Attic?]<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
But his last wife is different. He
genuinely falls in love with Edith. He loves her and she saves herself, killing
him AND his sister in the process, and bringing peace and eternal rest to the
ghosts of the dead wives. The ghosts she sees weren’t haunting her, they were
trying to warn her. The ghosts were <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">not
the real monsters</i>. This is a common Del Toro theme.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
She stabs him with a pen which is
the most awesome weapon of choice for a writer and it’s a gift from her father
so that ticks the retribution box.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">She loves him and she kills him, anyway.<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
Crimson is even red; the opposite
of blue. HOW did I miss it? *face palms*<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
And it’s so well done. I can’t
compete with that.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
I have to trunk another project.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
Sighs heavily.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
*thinks for a day or so while the
Internet is down*<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
Or maybe, I can just leave it
medieval and hope nobody notices? Yeah, that might work.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Anne-Maree Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10093653923045713331noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417704976781944030.post-32101461232148394692019-02-01T15:22:00.001+11:002019-02-01T15:22:33.270+11:00Tracking your Reading with a Spreadsheet<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
I do love a good stats sheet<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
I was reading Smart Bitches Trashy
Books, and they had a 2019 update for a spreadsheet to track your reading. Now
I use Goodreads to record my reviews and keep track of stuff I own or want to
read. I also keep my reviews in a Scrivener file I recently amended to include
meta-data for male or female authors but it doesn’t have the extras that this
one does. So, I downloaded it and gave it a go.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
After a month’s worth of entries I
have a better idea of whether it will work.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
Specifically, I wanted to record
diverse authors and book characters; this sheet has it in a pie chart. *squees*<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
Look at that, isn’t it pretty?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4PddOGVk1rAl7Sh6qLuYzJ-Vb4ea1-D3f-NQDg6Ar6P0lEBjYbVhaOofTo88_S3GgK7iHX8Bn30Q9PacHBgZ7LuHW45rE6Qb5twXQQC-vLe14bloj4i4m-0mkGsCD0H1S276g1glfc_ne/s1600/january+book+stats.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="636" data-original-width="1085" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4PddOGVk1rAl7Sh6qLuYzJ-Vb4ea1-D3f-NQDg6Ar6P0lEBjYbVhaOofTo88_S3GgK7iHX8Bn30Q9PacHBgZ7LuHW45rE6Qb5twXQQC-vLe14bloj4i4m-0mkGsCD0H1S276g1glfc_ne/s400/january+book+stats.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
I have assumed that having goblins
and giants in your story doesn’t technically count as ‘diverse’ characters. I
mean if they are goblins of colour [wait… what colour are goblins? never mind…]
If they are gay or queer or trans then I count them. And they have to be more
than just a token character. That’s how I intend to use it, your usage may
differ.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
Download it at the link below if
you are interested.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
Happy reading.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
links:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<a href="https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2019/01/tracking-your-2019-reading-with-a-spreadsheet-updated/" target="_blank">smart bitches trashy books</a></div>
<br />Anne-Maree Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10093653923045713331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417704976781944030.post-35139643173306875092019-01-15T12:33:00.002+11:002019-01-15T12:33:45.438+11:00I watched ALL the Poirot<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
Early in 2018 I bought a complete
DVD boxset of Agatha Christie’s Poirot with David Suchet.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
It’s a beast. There are multiple
disks on each spike.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkTYQcZzHSgU0tk9_PMdwGwSyrxLEPsYzsn1cOUAnNlgVdQkO6cabbyK__uE1QhqVQfSAldJKSm4NiW6YCzvjORqmgoEN4id39L13UUyfVebhF-TeQSg8y0GHs-JbGf1Hk6bDASuo5Oql8/s1600/Poirot+box+set.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkTYQcZzHSgU0tk9_PMdwGwSyrxLEPsYzsn1cOUAnNlgVdQkO6cabbyK__uE1QhqVQfSAldJKSm4NiW6YCzvjORqmgoEN4id39L13UUyfVebhF-TeQSg8y0GHs-JbGf1Hk6bDASuo5Oql8/s320/Poirot+box+set.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
See that? 5050 minutes… almost 85
hours.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
And it has taken me a little while
to watch them all. It revelatory to see how the production values changed over
the series; and as always it’s a game of ‘spot the awesome English actor’.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
It is singularly amazing that all
the main character actors stuck it out for the entire series. It would not be
the same if it wasn’t the right Hastings or Chief Inspector Japp or Miss Lemon in
the last episodes. Expertly played by Hugh Fraser, Philip Jackson and Pauline
Moran respectively.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
But more and more I see just how
clever Christie was. They are amazing stories. An absolute master class in
mystery writing. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
It’s as if she challenged herself.
I’ll make the murderer the narrator. I’ll make the murderer one of the victims.
I’ll make the murderer the doctor. I’ll make the murderer <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">all</b> the suspects. I’ll make the murderer the investigating police
officer. And so on. I’m reading ‘Talking About Detective Fiction’ by P.D. James
and she laughed that all you had to do with a Christie story was pick the
person most unlikely to be the murderer and you had a good chance to get it
right.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
Some Christie expert will no doubt
swear she repeated herself, but I’m struggling to think of an example.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
They focus more on the story than
the method. And the thing Christie was so good at was writing these utterly appalling
but somehow so English families. Decades of building anger, resentment and
guilt. Adult married children still living with their parents or step-parents
and waiting patiently (or not) for the old tyrant to die and leave them the
estate. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
Personally, I want to be Ariadne
Oliver, the self insert Christie character who hates her own fictional
detective. ‘Why did I make him Norwegian?’ she moans in the same way I expect
Christie did about making Poirot from Belgium.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<br />Anne-Maree Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10093653923045713331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417704976781944030.post-69895977486038696562019-01-08T22:04:00.001+11:002019-01-08T22:04:52.549+11:00Small moments of joy<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
When the world is horrible we have
to find small moments of joy. Read a great book, notice a pretty flower, leave
a nice comment… whatever floats your boat, or better and better, someone else’s boat.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
Last month I bought a stationery
set at Kmart. Yes, I shop in the children’s section. It was a Llama pack and it cost me
seven bucks. I mean LOOK at this pen!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiymBMYdlUYrkfCZ-7O493I50qe2WwICWsbcIn9sDzAjf8YZ4WhGzP_I_Abvt0DEAlOQACgYJzZiTdYy7Rpo1aIgfzhGC3PxSqhk8nb9Cvq0SVke47VXbjcNaXkCF8-jHjtsQWHaNMy4_V5/s1600/llama+pen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiymBMYdlUYrkfCZ-7O493I50qe2WwICWsbcIn9sDzAjf8YZ4WhGzP_I_Abvt0DEAlOQACgYJzZiTdYy7Rpo1aIgfzhGC3PxSqhk8nb9Cvq0SVke47VXbjcNaXkCF8-jHjtsQWHaNMy4_V5/s400/llama+pen.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
How cute is that? It is also ridiculous.
And it brings me joy. I am NOT going to apologise for that.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<br />Anne-Maree Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10093653923045713331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417704976781944030.post-70098919826554398732019-01-04T08:27:00.000+11:002019-01-04T08:27:28.269+11:00My reading in 2018<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBYLCLhXZe0dQn6l6UwdekrtL3_Sn4qD9nj5psS8IAryM7u4qJD_Sf9vGj79NIFhRNPjN8IXSwlTIX-d5kN09SwknTJNrvhcJeVVqExpZ5L_p70pmaPB5ouvRZtNnUIdzkklGKNS5iGftH/s1600/gr+2018.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="885" data-original-width="908" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBYLCLhXZe0dQn6l6UwdekrtL3_Sn4qD9nj5psS8IAryM7u4qJD_Sf9vGj79NIFhRNPjN8IXSwlTIX-d5kN09SwknTJNrvhcJeVVqExpZ5L_p70pmaPB5ouvRZtNnUIdzkklGKNS5iGftH/s400/gr+2018.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
500 titles - total of 97,333 pages
with an average length of 194 pages.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
Bear in mind that doesn’t include
pages for audiobooks. A few people don’t put in the number of pages when they
post a title to Goodreads so often they show up as a zero, too. It can only use
the data it was given.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
I keep my own count of my star
ratings as I post the reviews. I am not overgenerous. I can’t see the point of
giving every book five stars, but it looks like I give 40% 4 stars. I will mark
up for diversity; call it positive discrimination if you will. We need to push
the balance until it comes naturally.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
5 stars: 87<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
4 stars: 203<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
3 stars: 89<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
2 stars: 61<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
1 star: 21<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
dnf: 39<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
total: 500<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
I think I need to read less male
authors, and more diverse authors but I don’t know the stats for that. Maybe I can
count that, too? It is easier to do it as I go so I’ll try that and see. I went
off and added those to my Scrivener keywords. I write and store GR reviews in
Scrivener and it has meta data functions that I still underuse. That’s the
issue with Scrivener; I always feel as if I am paddling in the shallow end with
everything it can do. And yes, I’ve done courses. [sheesh as IF I’d miss an
opportunity to do a course. *laughs at self*]<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
And I’ve hit my first snag with
book one for 2019. Ilona Andrews is a husband and wife writing team that uses
her name. *shrugs* close enough. Sorry, Gordon you now have a pink tag.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
I also use a keyword to remind
myself where the book is. Is it a physical book? On Kindle? Kobo? A pdf from
the author? A free online read? This saves me time when I’m looking for it
later. There’s no point looking for a book on my shelf if it was a library
borrow. A super quick summary or note that reminds me what it’s about and if it
is part of a series.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
So my corkboard view with the
colour-coded meta data looks like this:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimBqpgmFq9v0XKn-J9u0z3bCyiPjg9lhW2G4FkUqN7pwPmslkwE9_D5YGQ0zB9NwJDagN2Wc69KFh0egPsKgmpjUjFHMctqYBHzHzzrDIz6fCaLQO_PxON-ZGnqsom4tK3DGZtt5IjVaj2/s1600/scrivener+note+cards+GR.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="598" data-original-width="1181" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimBqpgmFq9v0XKn-J9u0z3bCyiPjg9lhW2G4FkUqN7pwPmslkwE9_D5YGQ0zB9NwJDagN2Wc69KFh0egPsKgmpjUjFHMctqYBHzHzzrDIz6fCaLQO_PxON-ZGnqsom4tK3DGZtt5IjVaj2/s400/scrivener+note+cards+GR.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
In 2018 I tried to put things in
my ‘currently reading’ file to make me read them. It didn’t work. I have things
in there that have been there all year so I am taking them out again. There’s
no point guilting myself into more guilt, if that makes sense. Things change. Moods
change. I’m reading for pleasure and education, not work, so nothing has a
deadline unless it’s a library book. Maybe at another time I’ll get into them. That’s
fairer on the books, too.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
So task one is clean up my ‘currently
reading’ list.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
Done… woot that was easy.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
If I have another aim for 2019
reading it’s read the books I paid for. I keep buying Humble Bundles and
forgetting I own them. They also show up on my Kindle App on my PC but not on
my phone where I often read them. This is probably a knowledge issue of mine
and may be fixed by simply buying a Kindle reader and learning how to import
files. I don’t think I can use the app on a tablet or laptop as it relies on
things imported into it on here. To explain, I save a mobi file from a book
bundle onto my hard drive, click open and it automatically puts it into the
Amazon App. It also doesn’t show up as bought by me in Amazon. Another reason
to check Goodreads before I buy anything.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
To the research, she shouts.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
For 2019 I set my goal at 365. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
links:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/year_in_books/2018/9185879" target="_blank">Goodreads for 2018</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12pt;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />Anne-Maree Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10093653923045713331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417704976781944030.post-12736418743834384372018-12-06T09:30:00.000+11:002018-12-06T09:30:28.090+11:00post nanowrimo<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
Often after Nanowrimo people just
stop… but I have to say, I haven’t. So, yay!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
And I am totally crediting 4theWords
with that. And look at me after I won a few things… aren’t I cute?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpX_l9bwQAT7t8fJ7xxGFNSRq7bR4KRGrAzyN7qLvfTD8yoO6jqVGw7PtkPm75bdWguDU_Mowl1vL1dfWp_koCevk4DstPL3zsC2DYVb2ilgRkPtSpegZj9YTVL5jYYhAvClpYMowX8elD/s1600/post+nano+4tw+avatar.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="517" data-original-width="331" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpX_l9bwQAT7t8fJ7xxGFNSRq7bR4KRGrAzyN7qLvfTD8yoO6jqVGw7PtkPm75bdWguDU_Mowl1vL1dfWp_koCevk4DstPL3zsC2DYVb2ilgRkPtSpegZj9YTVL5jYYhAvClpYMowX8elD/s320/post+nano+4tw+avatar.png" width="204" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
Daily word count:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
4,957 Sunday<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
3,300 Monday<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
3,638 Tuesday<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1,197 Wednesday<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I will try to keep up with posting. If only for myself. Accountability.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />Anne-Maree Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10093653923045713331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417704976781944030.post-37673250516624286602018-12-01T12:02:00.000+11:002018-12-01T12:02:03.626+11:00Nanowrimo 2018 - day 30<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
Daily word count:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>3,946<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
I was searching through notebooks
to find things to type up in 4theWords to keep defeating wordy monsters. And I
saw a prompt. And four thousand words later…<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
I got distracted by the shiny new
idea… I know, right?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
Nanowrimo is officially over with
the passing of the 30th day. My 4theWord count for the whole month is 81,499
words. It’s probably a bit skewed given the early hiccups, but I don’t have a
better total.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
And that doesn’t count blog posts,
Goodreads reviews (I wrote 29 of those) or any other things.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
In other blue streak news, I
posted a blog post every day this month.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
Some of which are shorter than
others, but that’s not a bad streak to be proud of.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
So, all in all, I guess I had a
successful November?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
That’ll do AM, that’ll do.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
The question is, do I keep doing
daily blog posts with my word count?<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Anne-Maree Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10093653923045713331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417704976781944030.post-59171145432294413372018-11-30T10:17:00.001+11:002018-11-30T10:17:27.696+11:00Nanowrimo 2018 - day 29<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc7APDzmnD3CEpNw8qywL3CwvSVSOVmn8LrBVvybkQwl5DVNN7Snl79K5I9J2HQnzPo7wc0UrIbsfOsmiEKBKKrJSCVT3niyHBbHPLSmoFHfevyyjIPltFIKsr8ae__1Y-p98IxgJfxwMn/s1600/NaNo-2018-Winner-Twitter-Header.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="1500" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc7APDzmnD3CEpNw8qywL3CwvSVSOVmn8LrBVvybkQwl5DVNN7Snl79K5I9J2HQnzPo7wc0UrIbsfOsmiEKBKKrJSCVT3niyHBbHPLSmoFHfevyyjIPltFIKsr8ae__1Y-p98IxgJfxwMn/s640/NaNo-2018-Winner-Twitter-Header.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
Daily word count: 1,017 ??</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
Final word count:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>53,794<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
Verified and got the trophy!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
All I can say is always make sure
you have MORE than enough words to qualify.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
Scrivener says: 51,387<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
4theWords says: 51,779<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
Nano website says: 53,794<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
What? [2k difference?]<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
And that is literally downloading
straight from 4theWords and copy pasting it into the verifier via a Word doc
that coincidentally says my total is 53,760.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
Four methods - four different numbers.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
I… it’s me, isn’t it? Kid extra
just wailed ‘how do you do this?’<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
I don’t KNOW. Okay?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Q-WA6snFPg0RX4URaa8UfhahmaFgQ38ONDKoDHxyI_QUvza_Fj7Ekc0TOu7bjmOA66XlfzrzT2_mrN_88M-XBBKYLcGVEmdODeEhS7_ymdvLt3QuoVvv7Vgf0CS98eDppictr-PfXJLS/s1600/nano+stats+2018.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="493" data-original-width="934" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Q-WA6snFPg0RX4URaa8UfhahmaFgQ38ONDKoDHxyI_QUvza_Fj7Ekc0TOu7bjmOA66XlfzrzT2_mrN_88M-XBBKYLcGVEmdODeEhS7_ymdvLt3QuoVvv7Vgf0CS98eDppictr-PfXJLS/s400/nano+stats+2018.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
But what I can tell from the stats
is that even though I started late, I got ahead of that line in the first week
and stayed there. </div>
<br />Anne-Maree Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10093653923045713331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417704976781944030.post-24709719769028753302018-11-29T09:50:00.000+11:002018-11-29T09:50:41.437+11:00Nanowrimo 2018 - day 28<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
Daily word count:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>1,017<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
Total word count:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>51,387<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
All credit to 4theWords - even
though I passed the 50k mark yesterday, this morning I sat down and banged out a
few more words <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">because I didn’t want to
break my streak</b>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
To qualify you have to write 444
words per day. That’s not a huge amount. But per day that’s 162,060 words a
year. Which is a whole book, or two shortish ones.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXDDN3bXPSyaEFrocLYNC6IeAgccsIWTCjFJoXOawnMCqVLiVmpvqXEamS4DxQbArbokJWlF0wXd5XF_6MusnmDlFdTi2Kjyr3YOslKTkX6CNbfqjH3DCx7oe9vgPWWiQs8_pdzFm3B5Ay/s1600/blue+streak.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="297" data-original-width="687" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXDDN3bXPSyaEFrocLYNC6IeAgccsIWTCjFJoXOawnMCqVLiVmpvqXEamS4DxQbArbokJWlF0wXd5XF_6MusnmDlFdTi2Kjyr3YOslKTkX6CNbfqjH3DCx7oe9vgPWWiQs8_pdzFm3B5Ay/s400/blue+streak.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
Look at that blue streak… wait, is
that why it’s blue, because streaks are blue in the saying?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
But it was ‘talk a blue streak’,
wasn’t it. *checks Merriam-Webster*<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
I am correct ^^<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
Huh. From now on, I am typing a
blue streak.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">I have invented a new idiom.<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
Sure, sure, AM.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
I had better verify my win before
the time runs out. Remember that year I failed by under 300 words? Ah, good
times. $$<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
In other news, Sydney is not only
alarmingly cold for November but today it is also under water. We have had four
times our monthly November rainfall in ONE storm with 100mm (or 4 inches) in 90
minutes. Imagine what that’s doing to the city? In better news, my roof
*crosses everything* is NOT leaking.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">think</i>… I mean I’m standing under the parts that used to leak
straining my ears to hear even a single tell-tale drip … and I reckon it’s good.
&&<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
More story ideas:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
An Irish amateur football team has
issued an apology for a "grave and unacceptable mistake" after it
falsely reported that one of its players had died last week.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
Omg… why? Who thought that was a
good idea? Who had to pretend to be dead? How did that work? What did their
families and partners think? That they were idiots, obviously…<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
So many story ideas…<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
Links:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
^^ blue streak <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blue%20streak" target="_blank">definition </a>(2) a
constant stream of words, example: talked a blue streak<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
$$ it was NOT good times; it was
the worst of times…<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
&& the tell-tale heart is
SO much more atmospheric than the tell-tale drip, eh? But I am also getting
very deaf in my old age. What? Who says I play my music too loud?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-28/irish-football-club-fakes-player-death-to-get-game-postponed/10561388?section=sport" target="_blank">football club fakes player death</a></div>
Anne-Maree Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10093653923045713331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417704976781944030.post-6954619582963639042018-11-28T10:23:00.000+11:002018-11-28T10:30:19.480+11:00Nanowrimo 2018 - day 27<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
Daily word count:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>2,334<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
Total word count:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>50,370<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
I was determined to finish today.
*you can do it AM* <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
*waves pompons*<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
But my PC is just grindingly slow
at the moment. Remember how I started Nanowrimo with computer problems? I guess
my tech has read all the plotting books I have, as it seems to want to end as
we began. *side eyes PC* This is called ‘mirroring’ just in case you were
wondering what the term was.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
See? I’ve read ALL the plotting
books.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
But I did it!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
Yay.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
Now, I’m not sure I’d be able to
copy and paste my work into the damn verifier… I had better spend the rest of
the day ‘cleaning’ my PC.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
And having a celebratory glass of
wine.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<br />Anne-Maree Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10093653923045713331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417704976781944030.post-58133294207960302682018-11-27T08:10:00.000+11:002018-11-27T08:10:33.075+11:00Nanowrimo 2018 - day 26<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
Daily word count:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>935<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
Total word count:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>48,036<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
I shushed a man today.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
I was trying to buy an item from a
store catalogue. I had tried my local store and found they had none on the
shelves, there was none in stock (out the back), they couldn’t order it in for
me, and couldn’t get it sent over for me from another store that they could
tell from their ever so convenient computer system had TWO of the item I wanted.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
Note that there was a good dozen
of those ‘take this tag to the cashier’ tags. It sure looked like they had them
for sale.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
“Why was it in the catalogue,
then?” I asked the cashier.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
The man rolled his eyes.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
“Story of your life, eh?” I
supplied.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
He told me which stores had stock.
I worked out which one was closest to me, and the next morning I phoned it to
make sure they still had the item.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
When the man answered the phone
and asked what I wanted, I said, “I’m just checking if you still have an item
from the most recent catalogue.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
I expected him to say a lot of
things, what I did not expect him to say, was, “What’s a catalogue?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>%$<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
I explain.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
Everyone in the room is now
actively listening. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
He put me on hold.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
Now, while I’m on hold, I’m
processing the conversation and I get that what he is doing is asking someone
which department to put me through to, to help with my enquiry about <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">catalogues</b>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
Oh, dear. We’ve gone seriously
awry here.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
I wait…<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
He comes back on the line and he
launches into a hurried explanation about how he doesn’t know which department deals
with catalogues, and I say, “Shush.” I honestly didn’t know how else to stop
him.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
He stops talking.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
Every head in the room turns.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
“Wearable fitness items,” I say
very clearly. &&<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
He puts me through without another
word.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
Kid 2 looks at me. “Mum… you
shushed someone.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
I explained. I had to stop him before
he wasted more of his time.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
Look, I don’t know… Maybe it was
his first day; maybe the call interrupted him doing something else; maybe he
hadn’t had enough coffee. I know I hadn’t - it was early-ish. Maybe he was
tired of people calling about that particularly rare and half priced item?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
%$ what SHOULD I have called it?
Mail out? Junk mail? I don’t know.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
&& New step counter. That cow
stole at least 2 kilometres from me in the last 12km hike that it swore was
only 10km long. It’s going in the bin.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<br />Anne-Maree Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10093653923045713331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417704976781944030.post-72957913464831618442018-11-26T08:56:00.000+11:002018-11-26T08:56:46.464+11:00Nanowrimo 2018 - day 25<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
Daily word count:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>4,376<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
Total word count:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>47,102<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
Not a bad day.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
My desk is in the corner of a
large room. I have a standing desk as well but what I don’t have is the space
to put up things on the walls. I love index cards but I can’t spread them out
anywhere at the moment.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
The dining table is currently
occupied by a four person Warhammer 40k game…<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
Sighs.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
Months ago I picked up three super
light corkboards from Kmart - one for each Act. But then I didn’t know what to
do with them; I had nowhere to hang them on the wall. But, I had an idea. I thought
I might be able to hang them off an Ikea Ivar book ends that slide onto the
shelves and voila… it worked. If I hang them sideways.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0UF4BpBrSbX6sKxJX79u03EXuNHUbt1sEfpokicAjJSUZkVn3dQKxAGl0vWVYF5POBN4z7fwPFb4D5kUINMfntk0MZSzuOJ1ug7yc2kZchUKUPVWehAOoAXan6D4rWxkKTm2OWfZn0ISe/s1600/20181126+Gwen+Hayes+board.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0UF4BpBrSbX6sKxJX79u03EXuNHUbt1sEfpokicAjJSUZkVn3dQKxAGl0vWVYF5POBN4z7fwPFb4D5kUINMfntk0MZSzuOJ1ug7yc2kZchUKUPVWehAOoAXan6D4rWxkKTm2OWfZn0ISe/s320/20181126+Gwen+Hayes+board.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
In a truly mind hurting example of
my brain function, I wrote out the Romance Beat sheet cards from the Gwen Hayes
book, and then edged them in washi tape that matches the colours of the
Scrivener template she also gives you in a link in the e-book. Purple, red,
teal, and orange. Then I dug in the jar and found push pins in colours to
match, as well.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
Why, brain, why?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
Is the rest of my life this
terrifyingly organised? No, of course not. *rolls eyes at self*<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
Given this particular nanowrimo
project is a last minute, non plotted pile of words, with a lot of super
helpful notes like: then Oliver %% whatever his damn name is said,<o:p></o:p></div>
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OR %% father’s GF,<o:p></o:p></div>
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OR %% make sure you lampshade this
earlier;<o:p></o:p></div>
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Or whatever convoluted and vague
notes I’ve left for myself, it will take some work to disentangle it. It’s not
even in any kind of chronological order. I will have to sit down with the 50k I’ve
written and work out what goes where, what can be kept, or edited, and what
scenes are missing. And that’s why I’ll need those index cards.<o:p></o:p></div>
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But with less than 3k words left, I’m
going to make it, which is 50k words more than I had at the start of the month.<o:p></o:p></div>
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And I saw ANOTHER idea for the
file box.<o:p></o:p></div>
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A Japanese woman hired an actor to
pretend to be the father of her daughter. After ten years, the daughter still
does not know, he is not her real father.<o:p></o:p></div>
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WHAT? ARE YOU KIDDING? I swear I’ve
read that fanfic. But really, how do you even start untying that Gordion knot. Does
he care about the girl? Does he <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">want</b>
to be her father? Can they get married now and live happily ever after?<o:p></o:p></div>
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So many questions…<o:p></o:p></div>
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And funnily enough, my nano
project is about fake dating, doubling down on the lie, and then how you go
about starting to fix it when it inevitably goes wrong.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Links:</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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'<a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/stories-46261699?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ocid=socialflow_twitter&ns_campaign=bbcnews" target="_blank">I hired a man to pretend to be mydaughter’s dad </a>- and she doesn't know' <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com.au/Romancing-Beat-Structure-Romance-Kissing-ebook/dp/B01DSJSURY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1543145316&sr=8-2&keywords=gwen+hayes" target="_blank">Romancing the Beat:</a> Story
Structure for Romance Novels (How to Write Kissing Books Book 1) by Gwen Hayes</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Anne-Maree Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10093653923045713331noreply@blogger.com0