It’s Been Too Long
Happy New Year!!
What can I say except it’s nice to be back here writing, dreaming and scheming of the many wonderful adventures and possibilities that are in store for me. Last year is a year that I’m over-the-top excited to see go away. It was without doubt the weirdest, most heavily turmoiled year I have ever had in my entire life. Needless to say I will do anything to make sure this year is a better one.
Most things in life are out of our control, I get that, but I’m going to stay focused, have fun and explore every minute with the eyes of a child. I’m going to savor the minutes like the a hot puffy chocolate soufflé just out of the oven.
2011 was filled with many personal issues but during it all I did continue with my online Certificate Program with UCLA. I am halfway through the program and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in furthering their education in creative writing. I take all my classes online which affords me the ease of attending class when I can even if it’s the middle of the night. Without the online format I think I would have curled up into a ball and given up on my dream. Plus my family is extremely supportive of my desire to write and that is my biggest gift of all. I’ve learned so much about myself and my writing capabilities and my confidence in those abilities. Who knew that I actually might like writing essays? And that the poetry that I tend to write all the time is something others enjoy? To discover that my natural writing ability is also what I aspire to be as a writer makes me sigh with relief and wonder.
There is no doubt I have much to do to get things back on track,which I think I’ve posted about a dozen times already so please forgive me, but writing everyday is on the top of my list once again. It’s my meditation, my way to center myself in the chaos of my day. Many of my goals for last year fell by the wayside but who really cares? There’s always today. My recommendation to you is to follow your instincts to push you in the right direction.
But don’t forget that nothing comes to those who wait.
Cliche.
Yes. But true.
Dreams only come to fruition with hard work, dedication and perseverance. With my own children fast becoming their unique adult versions I try to instill that in them every day. That and to always be nice to others, to give, to smile and to help out as much as possible. And to always believe you can to great things.
As for me, this is the year. This is my year. I can feel it. I make one promise to myself and one promise only. I will write. Other than that I’ll take it as it comes. My goal for this blog for 2012 is to inspire. At least once a week, but most likely every two weeks, I will share inspiring and fun ideas for helping you/me write better. Also, I will continue with my Fantabulous Friday posts which will hopefully document my exploration into creativity using pictures, words, or whatever fun tidbits I find.
Well, that’s my goal. Let’s see if I can keep at it.
Whatever your dream is go out and live it starting today.
Thanks for reading.
Happy New Year and Happy Writing!!
juliet
p.s. On a side note…I’d like to wish my son a very happy 21st birthday. May all your years be filled with love, wonder, success and fun. We are so proud of you. xo
fantabulous friday’s
I’ve decided that Friday’s need to stand apart from every other day so I’m going to use my Friday’s for exploring and having fun with creativity. The goal is to go out into my Friday’s with a new set of eyes. Eyes that are free from pre-conceived notions and expectations. Eyes that are like a child’s. Eyes that see past the limitations I’ve put on myself to eyes that will let me see, truly see where I am right now in this moment of this life I’m living. Every color, every sound, every texture, every scent.
So I challenge you to go out tomorrow, a Fantabulous Friday, and discover your life. Take pictures, take notes, draw, sing, whatever you want or can do. If you’d like to share please feel free to do so.
as always,
juliet 
Versatile Blogger Award
I received a very nice hello on my blog from ruth.the.writer telling me she had chosen me for The Versatile Blogger Award. Thank you Ruth for giving me the award!! I immediately read her blog and found out she uses a wealth of knowledge about Florida history in her writing. Her blog is heart warming and fun. While your there, don’t forget to read her 200 word Flash Fiction story she wrote for the First Writer Challenge.
Exactly what is The Versatile Blogger Award? Well, if you’ve been tagged, you have to follow some rules (of course). Anyone who accepts the award is asked by the person selecting them to do three things:
1. Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to them in your post.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Pass this Award on to 15 recently discovered blogs and let them know about it!
Here are seven things about myself:
1. I get easily distracted.
2. I love my morning coffee.
3. Writing has been a part of my life since I first picked up a pencil.
4. I tend to let fear get in the way.
5. But I’m still a glass half full kind of person.
6. I like watching the history channel and the science channel. My more nerdy side.
7. I tend to want to be a hermit but life keeps getting in the way.
Here are 15 blogs I’ve recently discovered through the Write Campaign with Rachel Harrie that I like. I hope you like them too.
1. 1000th Monkey
2. Cheerios and Pearl Stories
3. The Blogger Girlz
4. Lesann Berry
5. Isis Rushdan
6. Michael Haynes - A Writing Blog
7. Jennifer Groepl – Writer
8. Shelley Koon
9. The Writer Revived
10. Glitter Word
11. Alana Saltz
12. Sarah Ketley Author
13. Chasing Moonlight
14. Wordy Living ~ Andrea S. Michaels
15. Having Acquired the Words
I’m on my way over to each one to tell them they’ve been chosen. Tag your it!
Well, thanks again to Ruth Hartman Berge for choosing me as one of her 15. For those I’ve chosen, congrats! You all have amazing and inspiring blogs. I’m looking forward to getting to know you better during the campaign.
juliet
Flash Fiction Challenge for the Write Campaign
This is the first campaigner challenge given by Rachel Harrie for the Write Campaign.
Write a short story/flash fiction story in 200 words or less, excluding the title. It can be in any format, including a poem. Begin the story with the words, “The door swung open” These four words will be included in the word count.
If you want to give yourself an added challenge (optional), use the same beginning words and end with the words: “the door swung shut.” (also included in the word count)
Here is my story.
The door swung open as the icy air pushed its way past the unsuspecting crowd, weaving through effortlessly. A wisp of mist settles around the woman. Her long black hair tumbles over her shoulders as she laughs with some friends. Their faces a kaleidoscope of colors. She freezes. Only she was aware of the change. Without wanting to alert them she giggles in an automatic response to some wise crack while slowly reaching for what she needed.
The mist began to wind itself around their ankles, snaking its way slowly upwards. She tensed. The mist hesitated and electricity sparked in the air.
“Hey, do you feel that?” one of the asked, hair standing on end.
Eyes grew wide around the table.
She finally had what she needed. Once the necklace what out in the open the mist backed off slightly.
“Well that was weird.”, another stated.
If it was possible for her hair to stand on end it would have as the mist stood to its full height. His soft black wings unfurling as the shiny metal vessel around her neck flashed. His glowing eyes bore deep into her soul before turning and walking out as the door swung shut.
My story is exactly 200 words.
If you liked it please “like” it on Rachel’s blog. I am #254 on the challenge.
Thanks!
juliet 
Writing Journey – Step 1 – Write a Manifesto
The truth of the matter is that my family went through some pretty awful “family stuff” since the beginning of summer. Even though we’re still trying to get our bearings and “things” aren’t over just yet and our lives changed forever, life must go on.
One of my last posts was about writing a manifesto. I made a few attempts at writing my manifesto but each one was ultimately forgotten about because once I wrote it I never looked at it again. I didn’t commit.
What is a Manifesto?
A manifesto is a list of what is the most important in your life right now, at this moment, and it is a list of everything you think you want in your future. It is a list of absolutely everything you’d like to do, like to have, like to be in your life. There aren’t any wrongs. That’s one of the things so great about it. Your manifesto should be fun to write. It’s a little like a bucket list but is more than that. It shouldn’t just be crazy sort of ideas because so many of them will realistically be unattainable or you’ll simply not want to do them any more. The fantastical ideas add the fun but the list also has to have meaningful wants and desires.
Sounds easy enough right? Not really. Not if you’ve been accustomed to always finding a reason for putting yourself on the back burner or snuffing out your own candle before a strong breeze comes along to blow it out. It’s simple in theory but not so simple to live out.
Why should you have a Manifesto?
Your manifesto will give you clear goals for all areas of your life: work, family, fun, spiritual, whatever your goals may be.
How do you write your manifesto?
You don’t have to get metaphysical or spiritual to write your list but of course you can if you want to. A manifesto is a basic list, starting with one and ending with whatever. It can be as short and to the point as you want but a longer more detailed list is a lot more fun.
What’s the catch?
The catch is you have to live your manifesto. You have to look at it everyday while trying to bring your list alive with your actions. You can’t just sit back and stare at it. you must work for it. Nothing comes to those who wait. Cliche but true.
Words in action = kinetic energy = making your dreams come true= maybe being a happier more productive person.
Look, this isn’t fantasy land. Just because you write a manifesto doesn’t mean that miraculously your entire reason for being is going to make sense or you’re going to beam rays of sunshine. Not happening. But what will happen is that as you look at your list each day and see it in action you might get more focused and more determined.
If along the way something on your list doesn’t fit, cross it off. So what? The manifesto a living breathing thing. It can change as we change. Let it go if it no longer fits with where you’re going. We all take steps in some direction every moment of our lives like an army of ants just following each other along. So why not take those steps on your own terms?
I finally have my manifesto. Why don’t you go write your own and see what happens?
Here is are a couple of links you might like to check out:
The Blog of Impossible Things This one is a personal new favorite. I think the idea of an impossible list is fantastic!
Good luck!
juliet
Write Campaign 2011
I happened to run across this on Twitter and thought it might be a good way to get connected with others like myself who are trying to find their way as new writer’s and bloggers.
What I’m referring to is theThird Writers’ Platform-Building Campaign hosted by Rachel Harrie.
How will I participate in the Write Campaign?
1. I will try to support others who are participating by visiting their blogs and interacting with them on Twitter or Facebook.
2. I will try to have new blogs posts regularly during the Write Campaign that will hopefully be inspiring and educational in some way.
I’m sure there are many other ways to participate which I will have to learn as I go.
Sign-ups end on August 31st so head on over and take a look. Why not get on the list before it’s too late?
The Write Campaign runs until October 31st.
juliet
POEM: The Way
POETRY
5/13/11
i can’t seem to find my way
alone in the darkness
a cocoon of pain sticks to my body
like hot oil
searing unseen scars deep within my flesh
silent words slither around my brain
to seek shelter among the ashes and soot
a lead weight sits upon my chest
i’m almost there
at home with my despair
i climbed as far as the eyes can see
but now I crawl deep into the earth
in search of my door, of silence, of peace
alone in the darkness and solitude
alone with myself in the cold damp earth
i have found my way…
Searching for the Key
Here is a moment truth. After reading some of my earlier posts I decided that I’m full of sh**. There’s too much preaching about writing and following your my dreams that I decided I sound sort of stupid. Look, to be honest, I’ve been in pissy mood for quite sometime now. There’s way too much going in my life and I’d really like it if I could go dig a great big hole for myself to hide in, or maybe I could find a nice dark damp cave and hang out with the bats for a while. Either way will work for me. Instead, I’ve written about how a writer has to be honest with the reader, a writer must put their heart and soul into the entire creative process. Blech… Yes! We must do that every single time we venture into our own creative space but that isn’t what I’ve done, I’ve been lying. I’ve pretended, and at least for today, my truth is I don’t think I know anything about anything. There, I said it.
I don’t have the first clue how to even find my creative space let alone venture into it honestly. Most days I’m looking through the window of my imagination at all the pretty little things in my creative mind but the door is locked and the key is missing. I’ve searched everywhere for that damn key. I’ve met some pretty awesome people along the way yet when I ask them if they know where my key is they look at me like I just spoke in jibberish. As people we don’t fit one particular mold so why do I think I have to? I’ve convinced myself that I must belong. Belong to what and with whom, is the question of the day. I don’t really know and that makes me laugh. A really big belly laugh. Me continually try to impress people I don’t know is the bane of my existence.
Some people say everything happens for a reason and exactly when it’s suppose to happen. I’d like to hit those people over the head. No. Not really. Things do happen for a reason I’m just not sure what the reasons are yet but recently there is a topic popping up in many of the blogs I read that piques my interest. Many say that creating a manifesto is one of the most important things we can do in our lives. It’s the new buzzword. A manifesto is a declaration of personal principles and intentions for our own lives. A list of what matters most to us and the rules we intend to live by. Could it really be that simple? A manifesto to put myself back on track? To give me some direction?
Maybe I don’t know what I really stand for or what is really important to me. (I know…cue the choir music.) I don’t know if writing a manifesto will be the key either but it’s worth a shot. And if that doesn’t work I’ll have a shot. A great big shot of tequila without the salt and lime. Seriously, this is what I like about the word manifesto. It is a declaration, it is an intent. Those are some pretty powerful words. When some people make a declaration it is as good as a signed contract, as good as gold, or as good as a spit handshake. For procrastinators and people with ADD, like me, this is a problem.
So…
My homework assignment for myself the rest of this week is to come up with my manifesto. Yay! Only letting the most important principles and intents make the list. I’m going to focus on who I am and where I want to go. I’m going to search for that beautiful diamond encrusted key that will open that cute little shop I’ve been window shopping at and I’m going to stop being afraid.
Do you know where your key is? Do it with me. Write your own manifesto. Come back here and share it.
juliet
Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Write Here Write Now
Yesterday was May Day, a symbolic day when we awaken from our winter slumber to the beauty of spring and all the beauty and possibilities waiting for us. It reminds us of the slumbering passions within ourselves and motivates us to go after them. My passion has always been words and writing. What is it about writing that attracts me so much? Well, I’ve tried to figure that out for most of my life but it seems that I enjoy the act of putting pen to paper or the typing them into the computer to create something unique, possibly profound. You could say that I’m obsessed with the idea of writing but over and over I struggle with the act of writing. Why? Because I never allow myself to truly have a voice. I mean, I give my ideas and opinions all the time, even when they aren’t even asked for, but I’m not sure that’s the same as having a voice, one that can speak from a place of knowing that no matter what, I know who I am and I know what I believe in. I believe that when you write from that place, that truth inside yourself, you allow your reader to connect with you on a completely different level.
A friend of mine said to me not too long ago that I had to “own” my writing. At first I thought she was crazy. What could she possibly mean by that? Of course I own my writing or I wouldn’t have written it or shown it to her, but what I think what she was really saying is that I need let go, to get out of my way and let my heart out on the page, one hundred and fifty percent. A writer must be honest with the reader, being accountable for every word. I have to give myself over to my words and let them have the energy they so crave and I have to stop apologizing for the words I write. Without doing that the reader will know I’m a fraud or a fake and an untalented one to boot. Another lesson I have yet to overcome is the one where I stop saying “I’m trying to do this…” or “I’m trying to do that…” but instead, to coin a phrase, to just do it. Period. End of story. Obviously, simply putting words on paper doesn’t mean it’s any good but so what? There’s always re-writes. That’s also what she meant. I have to learn how to write without letting fear and worry get in the way. I need to have fun writing. What a concept. Yikes!
Ok. So writing was my dream. Today it is my reality. From listening to advice from some very talented writer people, to reading authors who are known for good writing and spending time in the writing process I will discover my voice, my sense of self and the where and when of how my voice belongs out in this great big world we live in. As I keep saying during the process of my writing journey, words have power, an energy that could go well beyond what I write and maybe, just maybe, my words could give someone the tools they need to get started on their own path of self discovery.
Thanks for letting me share with you. I hope your day is full of passion!
juliet
Wine, Words and Chocolate
For today’s post I thought I’d write about wine, words and chocolate. Why? Because it’s Friday and that means a weekend to fill doing things we enjoy. For me that would be wine, words and chocolate. Of course.
What do wine, words and chocolate have in common? All three are yummy and delicious on their own but they do share one thing, passion. We can experience life in its simplest form. Through our senses: taste, touch, sight, hearing and smell.
The differences in wine and chocolate are as subtle as the differences in words making each one unique. By that I mean the differences in wine and chocolate are immediately different depending on how they taste and the aroma but in sentences its word choice and how they’re structured.
One sentence is all telling and no showing… blah, blah, blah.
One sentence is all showing and no telling…that’s really psychedelic!
One sentence is an overload of information…hey, this is too much like school.
One is short but sweet…mmmm, that was yummy.
Only by continually reading can we learn to distinguish writing that stands out above the rest. Each person is unique so it’s no surprise that what one person thinks is the best thing ever written, the next won’t. It doesn’t matter. Keep reading. Find what you enjoy and just read for the sheer pleasure and enjoyment that comes from reading. Like a quote or sentence that stays with you long after you put the book down, the same is true with wine and chocolate which requires an enormous amount of tasting to distinguish good from bad. But, please, just not all at the same time, otherwise taste won’t matter so much after a while. The only thing that will matter will be finding someplace to lie down, unless you pass out first.
Become the type of reader that slows down to savor the words, to reflect on the words, to feel the cadence and melody of the sentences. As you savor each word, allow them to slide down the palette like a great glass of Pinot Noir or a deliciously decadent piece of dark chocolate. Let them melt into your mind and linger for sometime, which will allow them to seep into the depths of the mind, filling it with the energy and passion of new words.
It’s exhilarating for the mind, body and soul.
It takes us to faraway places and new realms of existence we wouldn’t have discovered on our own.
This weekend, as you enjoy your next glass of wine, good book or yummy piece of dark chocolate, I say “Salute!” to you. May it be inspiring.
juliet
