another page from the book…
If this is the front door greeting, you can pretty much assume you’re a little late to arrive…
Launch, Surprise, One Minute Mindfulness, How to Be Interesting
Just a few of the titles I’ll be looking through this afternoon…
Spent too much time at the workstation last night. Still getting plenty done creating my ESL online course, but needed a change of scenery and approach. And an opportunity to dabble.
“Produced With Genetic Engineering”
Yep, that’s the claim on the back of the Oreo Mini bag. [The breakfast of champions, I might add. Nature’s most perfect food.]
And that’s our lead story in today’s edition of ‘Neither Here Nor There’. [NHNT]
“Produce with Genetic Engineering”. Sure I could have looked it up, but frankly I’d rather muse over what it might mean, or make fun of it, or come up with my own explanation.
Next item: Coffee, the life blood of many. My favorite coffee maker: The Clever Coffee Dripper. I bought one about five years ago from Sweet Maria’s. Haven’t been without one since. The grounds steep in the hot water for an ideal four and a half minutes. [Stirring at the 1:30 and 4:00 mark is strongly suggested.] You set it on top of your mug and the contact with the mug’s rim releases the coffee via a weight-controlled valve.
Heaven. Arabica heaven.
Next item: Fueled by the ***aforementioned Oreo Minis, I reverted back to pen and notebook this morning. Felt great. Seems to weave right into the whole mindfulness thing that’s marched [though methodically, with rhythmic steps, and perhaps some John Tesh music drifting in the background] into our consciousness of late. [But with good reason].
*** Perhaps the snootiest word I’ll be using this month.
Update on my other project…
Stealth Students
Tasks/Chores/Challenges:
- Went to online photo sources to try to get some working images of my characters.
- Not sure if I need to pick up the pace of the action. [Keeping in mind the age and preferences of readership.] It always feels like it’s dragging to me, but details are needed.
- I generally don’t provide enough description, so I have to balance that with keeping the action moving.
- Just recently local writer Gary Corbin reminded his audience that each scene needs to lead to some kind of change in character or action. Will try to keep that in mind.
I should be writing. Instead…
I’m mapping out a Frisbee golf course at a nearby park…which, of course, would suggest that less writing and more goofing off is in my future.
Here’s a question about photographs…
So, I took photos of folks in a parade years ago.
I looked into acceptable uses of the photos and this page provided some clarification.
One key point: You need permission from the subject if the picture is used for commercial purposes. Okay, no problem there.
But what if the person is NOT recognizable? See below. Do I still need permission from this Chewbacca clone? [Not that I have any clue who or where this person is now. Hey, even fingerprints wouldn’t help. ;->]
If anyone can clear this up, I would appreciate it.
Curation Station, May 18th
A few favorites I’ve come across recently:
- http://www.mykitaab.in/ I’ve enjoyed these instructive podcasts on writing/publishing. Episodes have included a number of Indian authors, but also Joanna Penn and Paul Brodie, who churns out a number of well-targeted ebooks.
- Though the title is a little deceptive, Consistency Will Make You Feel Like a Loser should give you a quick jolt of inspiration to hang in there.
- Daily sub-ten minute podcasts from https://sidehustleschool.com/ are not only interesting, but they are thought-provoking and inevitably spur a fair amount of ‘Gee, I wonder if…’ kind of thinking. This is one of Chris Guillebeau’s latest ventures. He’s currently in Amsterdam, but will soon be back at work on the 2017 World Domination Summit in Portland, OR this July.
I should be writing. Instead…
I’m cooking. Chile verde is on the menu. Didn’t have to be, but hey, we procrastinators have to/tend to follow the latest shiny object, which, in this case, was the stainless steel pot you see below.
A few realizations, however.
First-draft writing and cooking–
1. They often result in a mess, albeit unavoidable. [A minor victory: I left the dishes for later while I posted this.]
2. I often balk at taking that first taste. What if it’s hazmat material? And that look back at the first 500 words? I’d rather not see how awkward, nonsensical, and/or high-minded it is.
3. Giving the work time to develop–whether on the stovetop or in our mind–almost always improves the final product.
4. The experimentation doesn’t end once you turn on the heat. I’ll be dividing the sauce between a meat version and a vegetarian version. And my stories? New roadblocks and characters will inevitably show up.
And in an ironic twist, by writing about another departure from my appointment at the keyboard, I’m actually following through on that same appointment. [Welcome to my world…]
Please refrain from comments reminding me about the dirty dishes. Let me bask for awhile. Thanks for reading.
The stuff of inspiration [corkboard material]
Adding to my distractedness…two signups
but these are worth the risk…
Writing a Genre Series: The Perils and the Pitfalls! Heard about this through reedsylive .
Teachable Summit [Lots of expertise and food for thought here. The challenge is to rein yourself in and not try to cover and do everything that interests you. Then again, look who’s talking…
Word Inventions 