Current Works
Dayjob: Things have been a bit slow at the dayjob. I did get to write a first draft of a white paper, which was fun. I'll be linking to it when it gets approved in the future. I'm also learning a lot about interviewing SMEs, which is something I could use the practice with.

DIY Planner: Finished writing and revising draft of this Thursday's article. Sent it out to two friends to edit. Got some good feedback and I'm excited to release it on Thursday. I hope it generates good feedback. Also edited my friend Taylor's article, which we posted today. I did a bit more work on it than I did last week and I think it's paying off as people are already commenting on it. Readers in the blogosphere are a hard group to understand. Just when you think you've written something great for comments, they don't post. Still trying to get ahold of how they think and what the trends of my readership there are.

Daily Sketch: It's been awhile since I've written one of these. Need to re-form the habit of doing it daily. Tonight's topic, "a painting comes to life". I sorta cheated on this one as the story wrote itself onto two index cards instead of one. Oh well, it was worth the set-up, I think. It's a bit surreal, I call it "Come to Life".

(Did anyone else notice that all the paragraphs in this section started with a D? Go figure.)

Mundania
Sorry I've been gone for a bit, I get caught up in life and whatnot and sometimes just am not able to get writing daily posts or other news on my own site. I'm trying really hard to change that tho. A lot's been going on in the industry and I do have a few thoughts on some big news. Expect to see that soon.

Had a busy day at work today. Still not really doing much writing or "real job" work but I had a lot of meetings. Learned just how detailed the engineers need to go in making the products work. As in micron. Very eye opening. Also had an interesting discussion with the lead today. Won't go into it here but it left me with a few more to-do items on my soul searching and personal improvement front. Some things I've been working on for years. (Aside: need to start working on grok again, so i can post these things there!)

To Do List
-- edit Taylor's DIYP article
-- finish writing my DIYP article
-- read

Ye Olde Linkfest
--Is it Prime? Here's an interesting post about quickly identifying prime numbers. While it's not directly related to writing per se, I do see this as a great exercise to keep your mental health up to par. That and it DOES mention Neil Stephenson in it. He's a literary god.

-- Setting up a Moleskine This post caught me by surprise. I love reading how people set up their journals and notebooks and this one is a great example of that. Perusing thru the site, i'm even more surprised at the content and the level-headedness and value this Pastor has to offer, even for someone like me.

Written by Richard Powell
Published by Adams Media
ISBN 1593375964
Review by jaymi elford

I was at one of my favorite book stores which also catered to the new age crowd a week ago. My friend, corie was in town and wanted me to drag her to all the hot-spots in Portland. She's also a book freak and she must have purchased about 10 books on a shoe string budget during her stay here. We wandered in and out of the aisles looking at all the books, and knick-knacks when my eyes ran across Wabi Sabi for Writers, by Richard Powell. I also have on my shelf (and started to read a long time ago, but never finished) his other book, Wabi Sabi Simple. I was amused and amazed that here was a book on a subject that I am growing more and more interested in, encapsulated inside a well written, personal account on writing.

According to Powell, writing lends itself well to the ways of wabi sabi. For it is through exploration, simple natural elements, connecting and sharing with others the passion for writing, and the test of time that turns an item into something wabi sabi. The same can be said about writing. Good writing, has to have certain universal elements, explore some "element of nature" (natural or humankind), and withstand the test of time. Writers also need a reader, for without the act of sharing, the story cannot be complete. The rest of the book, then, uses inner dialog with the haiku poet, Basho; personal tales of experience that help to illustrate how one achieves points while being on the path of wabi sabi; and examples of writing, contemporary and canonical, that he considers wabi sabi to show writers how to apply this to their own works.

The book is broken down by topic chapters, these being: Wabi Sabi for Writers, Inspiration, Education, Wabi Sabi Beauty, Enlightenment, Motivation, Community, Wabi Sabi Elements, and Craft. Powell sets the theme of each topic with a small inner dialog question and answer session between himself (the writer) and the great haiku poet, Basho, who he questions about why these elements are important to both wabi sabi and a writer who desires to attain the idea of finding the truth through the craft of words. He then goes into the heart of each chapter discussing how writers can get more out of their daily and lifelong practice of writing if they applied these concepts and ideas to their work. While Powell focuses most of his examples around his love of haiku and other Japanese poetic forms, he says that any writers can benefit from the knowledge of wabi sabi.

And I agree with him. Already this book has awoken a new perspective in me. The chapter on Community, for example, discusses how we writers aren't really meant to practice our craft in a vacuum, but rather share and get help from other writers. We are not meant to write alone. Only one half of the story gets told, the other half... unfolds when someone else reads and interprets our words. Not to mention all the writing groups (like NaNoWriMo) which encourage writing with partners, in groups and sharing ideas and pitfalls so that others can help us gain more insight into our own works.

The book also helps shape your words and your voice as you write. It's a constant reminder that writing takes time to develop and uncover the right words to use for the right scene. It is okay to not get things down right the first time, that you can go back and add more complexity and layer more meaning onto the draft as time goes on. In the chapter on Wabi Sabi Elements, Powell suggests that instead of passing off time or seasons in your work, you should describe the world around your characters, the smells in the air, the way that leaves fall of trees or snow sprinkles to the ground to instill a sense of natural beauty and wonder into your written work.

It's also given me a few other insights, as well. Take my wallet, for example. I own a rather "bland" but highly functional and very efficient jimi wallet, in smoke. Now I love this wallet because of it's streamlined look and the fact that it holds everything I want to carry on me and nothing more. Well, last night, while reading the chapter on Wabi Sabi Beauty, Powell covers a topic known as jimi, or "the beauty in somber colors, traditional treatments, and correct style." Had I never read this book, or had an interest in wabi sabi itself, I would have never guessed that my little wallet, which also has the same name as this Japanese aesthetic, also carries the lines, features and functionality that jimi represents. Nor would i have ever learned about mono no aware, being a concept of "sensitivity to things," would also take on a new meaning as I listened to the industrial group who's sound seemed to reflect the beauty and depth of pitting natural sounds in with caccophanic instruments. And having reflected on these topics, I have actually been able to write about them in a way that shares my epiphanies and revolutions.

I also like how Powell breaks down each chapter into smaller chunks and snippets of things we, writers, can do to add a greater dimension and spirituality to our works. We're not just carefully crafting stories but we're breathing real life into the works. It's easier to break apart this large ambiguous concept into more concrete chunks and makes a lot more sense. Which could be one reason why I have never really finished Wabi Sabi Simple, even though I enjoyed reading it as well.

The book ends with a glossary of common Japanese terms and a small (but comprehensive) appendix of Suggested Reading which contains contemporary works, alongside some good books on haiku and history on Basho. The reading list alone is an added bonus to view works of wabi sabi writing in practice. I highly recommend this book for those who are into wabi sabi philosophy, writing haiku or just wanting to maybe add another layer of dimension onto your writing crafts and want to expand and explore new writing techniques.

Current Works
Dayjob: Continued sponge mode. Played with Epic Editor and Vasont. Learned a bit more about the process i'll be using to write service notes.

Sketch: Tonight's entry, Threading a Needle, is brought to you by a very tired kender. Tried to write this one as fast as I could. I'm tired too.

E-Book Review: Requested a review copy of an e-book a friend wrote about how to use WordPress as a CMS application. Need to read it over and then send her a quote for her website. Will also make a longer review for DIYP, to be published in the future.

Mundania
Gawds, last week and this past weekend was busy. I had a wonderful early Friday as work sent us home early. Spent the day writing in my journal, and playing catch up with some chores. Went out to dinner with Michelle at a new indian place that served good food. And read. Played with tarot a bit too. Which, while most would wonder why I mention it here... but I do see this tool as tied directly into my writing practice. I'll write more about this later, some day.

Saturday and Sunday were spent moving ed. What was supposed to be one day, turned into two and tired me out. I barely had time to do what I wanted to do. No sketches for the weekend and I didn't really write much. I *did* get to do a tarot reading for my good friend Ember, I hope that helped her out. She's going thru some tough times and I just want to be there for her as any good friend would be.

Feeling run down today... I hope I'm not getting sick. That's the LAST thing I need to hit my immune system to drag me further away from my writing/reading/tarot goals.

To Do List
-- Need to get back on a real schedule.
-- Contact Wine Adventures for writer's guidelines. Will email editor to see if they can send them electronically.

Ye Olde Linkfest
--Writing eases cancer This article, straight from the BBC, describes how journalling helps improve the quality of life in cancer patients. This is no real big surprise for me, seeing that journalling is a great way to get all those ideas, thoughts and feelings locked inside one's brain, out and on the written paper. Once they're out and in ink, it's easier to identify how you feel, and what needs to be done on occasion. I've always hated bottling up how I feel.

-- 2008 Hugo Award Nominations They released these nominations a few days ago, and I'm proud to see so many good reads show up. What really makes me happy tho is the category for "Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form and Short Forms". The screenplay for Stardust made it to the list, as well as, several of my favorite Dr. Who episodes (including Blink! OMG, best episode ever) and one Torchwood episode (mmm, Captain Jack Hotness).

Current Works
Dayjob: Continued on with the glossary. Tomorrow I get to switch gears a bit and work on a new project. Exciting.

ClearAccess: Finished round one of the doc revision. Sent this off to review with the marketing director. Need to make final touches to the Word doc version while at work and have a PC running MS Word available. Sorta wishing everyone there had a mac and Apple Pages. Currently coming up with quotes and estimates for 2 other projects.

Sketch of the Day: Kender tossed me an easy one today, "The Floating Castle". I sorta like this one.

Researched potential market: While reading the Writer's Journal, I came across a magazine, Wine Adventure, who is accepting essays that fit into their magazine. For my last birthday, my friends kidnapped me and surprised me with a wine blending class. It was a good experience and I think it'd make a good essay. Need to find a copy of this magazine to read and request writing guidelines.

Mundania
Been thinking a lot about time and personal projects. Part of me wishes I had more time to work on my personal projects, while the other half thinks I should figure out how to utilize the time and pockets of time I have now a bit better. I feel like my work is on a rushed schedule and that my writing style and voice suffers. I wish I could write more like Jenn and carefully craft my prose so it turns from rough uncut crystals into polished gems.

I went to bed last nite remembering my college creative writing classes and how much I miss that atmosphere of focus and dedication. I wish i had more writerly friends around so i could talk about words and story ideas and plot lines and characters. And to have a team of dedicated writers who read thru my drafts and gave me the high quality feedback that i crave.

I could apply for an MFA somewhere. But the thought of doing that terrifies me... it's the cash, the extensive time sink and the loss of some of what I am currently doing. I dunno... i just want to be better at writing, to make fun and meaningful fiction and on occasion get published for it. In addition to writing essays on tarot and writing and creativity. *gryn* Is that too much to ask for?

To Do List
-- Beer30 with the crew
-- visit with joel
-- come up with estimates
-- read
-- write

Ye Olde Linkfest
-- 8 Ways to Train Yourself to Be Creative Nice essay that teaches you how to boost your creativity with 8 different techniques. I like that this essay comes at creativity from the perspective that EVERYONE is creative.

-- Kids say the darnest things 25 funny analogies brought to you by english school teachers. Oh man, these are hilarious. Makes me wonder if what I wrote in HS was as bad as some of these sentences. Too bad I didn't really keep any prose I wrote from that period.

Current Works
Mythic Writers: Got together with Kim, purchased domain account and created the website for our mythic writing non-profit org, Mythic Writers. Not much is there yet, but we plan on getting a blog, forums and a few other goodies up and running soon. I can't wait for us to get this up and off the ground.

DIY Planner: Finished the spring cleaning of non-published works. Approached writer who had submitted article for publication about getting it on the site for tomorrow. He agreed, and the article is now in the que for tomorrow. Also going over more apps for review for site.

Sketch of the Day: Ok, kender's trying to get tricky on me. Tonight's bit, "the faerie makes good it's escape", is now up for your reading pleasure.

Mundania
I really should not be allowed to drink anything with caffeine. Even just a little amount gets me so hyped up. But yeah, wanted a chai to sip and drink while working on the Mythic Writers site. *gryn* Fast forward to now, 3 hours later, and I am still all hyped up as hell and trying to get my mind to slow down so I'll be able to focus on getting some creative writing and reading done after dinner.

Overall, I feel like it's been a really productive day and weekend. On Friday, we went to Powell's where I found a free book that'll become the basis for an art class in October. I also received a new doc to go over and format for Clear Access. Spent 3 hours on that, and will spend another couple of hours on it between today and tomorrow. Love my books. Have so many new ones sitting next to my work area that the stack is almost as tall as the windowsill. Gotta start reading faster. And then, of course, got work done today.

To Do List
-- meeting with kim, re: mythic writers, at the Ladybug Cafe
-- go thru unpublished entries in DIYP
-- write
-- journal
-- read

Ye Olde Linkfest
-- Fun Dashboard Widgets for Writers This post, from Poynter Online, gives a list of fun dashboard widgets for us Mac OS X users who also write. I personally love the TPS Reports widget (gives you fake place holder text for projects) and the Word Counter Widget (does the word counting for you).

-- Literary Rejections on Display Blog Here's a site that is entirely dedicated to writing rejections. Jenn showed me this site the other day as we were talking about fears of writerly rejection and jealousy. I started poking around here but need to do some more.

Written by Chip Baty
Published by Chronicle Books
ISBN 0811845052
Review by jaymi elford

Before any of you can ask me, yes I finished today's NaNoWriMo word count with 2502. Which leaves me with a perfect segue-way into my first review for November is D*I*Y Planner Review Month or DIYPlaRevMo. *ahem* Okay, sorry... I'll try and refrain from the jokes. But it should come as no surprise that the first book I'm reviewing this month is Chris Baty's No Plot? No Problem!. Not only is the book a wonderful companion to this month's NaNoWriMo excursion but it's also a great stand alone writing book.

For those of you who want to try the NaNo experience but have way too much going on in November, I whole heartedly suggest that you get this book. It's jam packed with the same sass, intensity, whimsical prose and gentle prodding that makes participating in this event fun. Baty doesn't really help you write better prose, per se. Instead he focuses on the culture, the things that help you produce writing, give you time and help you turn off your inner editor and write uninhibited prose. Fast and uncensored. His goal, and it works as I can attest to this, is to help you write a full first draft of a novel, in little time. No Plot? No Problem! contains lots of suggestions, pep-talks, exercises and humor to help you get off your butt, silence the inner editor and learn to love counting words.

The first part of the book discusses the history of this writing phenomena, his own personal views on writing and what he thinks it takes to create a work within this framework. He really doesn't believe that it takes an original, perfect and strong plot to write a novel. Sometimes all it takes is an basic idea, maybe a character name, writing buddies and your family to keep you going and maybe a writing totem and the promise of hefty rewards when you reach particular goals. Therefore, this section dispels the myths behind writing alone, secluded without toys or rewords. Baty also sprinkles thoughts and articles written by other NaNoWriMo participants throughout this section that coincide with the topics he selected to write about.

The second half gives you a portable NaNoWriMo. Baty guides you week by week into writing and finishing your 50,000 word novel in 4 weeks. Amazingly, this guide captures the same feeling and style that actually participating in the competition every November has. Baty shares with you tips and tricks that you can use to help get you past the various hurdles associated with marathon writing. He also includes special pep-talks designed to keep you writing. And at the end of your 30 days, you too will have a complete draft of a novel.

I highly recommend this book, if only to compare the size of 50,000 words. The book itself, is about 50,000 words... if not a little bit more. Out of all the books I own on writing, or exercises to help me write, I can say that this is the one book that helps cheerlead me to a writing victory. This book is all about the passion, the culture and the insanity that happens to us writers when we go word crazy and silence the editor who tells us that zombies and romance should not coexist in a work of fiction.

Current Works
Tarot Essay: Wrote my bio for the piece, in addition to fixing the 3 comments that the editor had. I filled out the contract and submitted it as well. Now... we wait until the book gets into publication cycle and then published next year!

Sketch of the Day: Kender gave me the subject, "a leaf falls from a tree". Finally an easy topic for me to visualize and write. Go check out the result.

Dayjob: Continued reading docs to assemble the glossary.

ClearAccess: Spoke with Joel at ClearAccess regarding his thoughts and desires for a manual. Have a much better idea of what they want now, and still think it's doable. ANd fun. I like writing manuals and trying to get them readable to the widest audience available. However, I have two concerns: how much time do I have realistically to give to this project and how to give them a fixed-cost estimate. I believe this project is a bit bigger than a fixed-cost would be. I have some time to think on this as there's still some documents to read and a scope to create.

Mundania
This evening was perfect. It was grey and overcast but a bit warm. The smell of wood burning fires filled the air and it reminded me of the up and coming festival season.

Went for a real run today, my first 1.3 miles on solid ground since starting to work out again. I need new shoes, the old Nike Pegs that I bought oh-so-long-ago are dead and my feet are feeling the pain of flat shoes. Maybe I'll head out this weekend and treat myself to a pair of new shoes.

Other than this, not much to report...just the same old thoughts of trying to find time to fit way too many fun and creative writing projects into my life while doing tech writing full time AND have a happy hubby life. One of these days I may figure out the secret to doing all this at once.

To Do List
-- get Studio ready for Ed's arrival
-- exercise
-- get finished draft of tarot essay out to editor
-- write

Ye Olde Linkfest
Dutrope This site gives a list of over 2000 places to publish stories and novels. I haven't searched this yet but I think it's going to be an awesome resource. It even offers a free online submissions tracker, that alone is rather neat.

9 Ways to Jumpstart Your Writing Goal This article from Dumb Little Man has some good suggestions on keeping a writing life and your goals on track. Most of these ideas aren't new to me, but like much of what I read about the writing process, are a constant reminder of all the things I should do to meet my goals of being a successful writer.

Word Count: Broken Silence: 72 words; Contest Story: 154 words

Current Works
Tarot essay: SQUEEE! Just got word tonight that my essay got accepted into the Book Anthology. *does happy dance* The Editor sent me out a message thanking me for the submission, letting me know that there are minor edits (I also need a bio), and attached a publication contract. I'm going to try and get it back to him by the end of this week, but I do have a small quandary. Do I use my real life name or do I use my magickal name. I'm hoping that the Editor can give me advice on which to use. I'd prefer to use my real life name but I also know that tying that into a magickal life means that some publication houses may NOT want to print me because I am "pagan," or "into witchcraft." Of course, I still need to figure out what to put in a bio and make that sound good.

Sketch of the Day: Today's topic was "a blaster shot rings out in a crowd". Talk about another tough one. I had an image in my head of a small body running through a crowd with a stolen item tucked in their hands just as the impact of the bullet rings out and brings them down to the ground. The end result is called "Broken Silence". Again, I think I may want to revisit this one again some day to polish it up more.

Contest Story Entry: Jenn sent me the link to this contest, being put on by Symphony Space. The theme is "Are We There Yet?" and it can't be more than 4 pages. The deadline is this Friday. I dunno if I'll have time to whip something up for this by then but it'll give me experience in writing specifically for a contest with a theme. I started a story today, will work on it more tomorrow.

Dayjob: The hunt for more terms to add to a glossary continues. Expanded entries to include synonyms where applicable. Also moved into my permanent cube space. This means I get to bring in toys now. Yay.

Mundania
Oh wow... today moved by in a blur. Not really sure what to say here. Had a great weekend getaway at the coast. Drove the jackrabbit up (our name for the new car) and got some great photos of the shaggy trees, coastline and other miscellany. Only downfall to the whole weekend was that it was too short. I can't wait to take Kender back for a longer weekend trip.

I started reading the copy of Writer's Journal late Saturday night. Had the sounds of the ocean coming in from the patio. Felt so relaxed that I practically fell asleep with the magazine across my lap and my head in my hand. It had a few good articles in there but on the whole I've decided that I prefer Writer's Digest. It just appeals to me more.

To Do List
-- pick Michelle up from airport and take her home
-- dinner at Firkin & Frog
-- journal
-- write

Ye Olde Linkfest
The Fine Art of Wireframes Short and simple post on how an Information Architect uses wireframes to communicate web design ideas. The use of sketches in place of words intrigues me and I often wish I were better with drawing abilities to sketch out my ideas. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words.

Believer Magazine I haven't read into this too much, but Jenn turned me onto it. It's a curiously fun and bizarre online mag.

Current Works
Sketch of the Day: While he was rushing around getting ready for night snowboarding, Kender threw me a curveball. The topic: the Ace of Swords and the Queen of Cups pass each other on the street. The result is a small narrative that tells, more than shows, what happened during this meeting. I'm not too happy with the telling bit but this is how I saw it in my head. Maybe one day I will revise this one and try and show the event more.

Dayjob: Progressed more on building the glossary. Got clarification and direction from my boss. Have NO idea when this'll be done. Hope I'm on the right track.

Mundania
I'm feeling rather chatty today. Blame it on Furday. I am so utterly delighted that the weekend is here and I get to spend a night at the coast with my love. On top if it all, today was a great day.

It kicked off quite early, and in a unusual way. I received a very surprising and interesting email. It was from a DIYP reader. Which in itself isn't very odd, because I tend to get a lot of messages from our readers. What made this odd though, was who the reader turned out to be. Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes, best known as the author of "Women Who Run with the Wolves", emailed me. Whoa. She wrote a lovely message thanking me for inspiring her as well as giving me encouragement on my decision to take some time off and feed my soul and inner life after "the week of change" happened. She linked me an essay that she wrote, not to long ago I may add, on her thoughts about losing her own puppykid. I cried a bit as I read about her story on her puppy with cancer; but it also helped me feel connected-- it was a gentle reminder that I am not alone in grieving for the loss of a furkid.

My mother bought me the Wolves book when I was a freshman (or was it sophomore) in college, and in a way, reading the book helped inspire me to want to write mythic fiction and be a wild, native american woman in my own right. Fast forward to today, 10+ years later and through some crazy way, I'm inspiring her with my creativity articles. Who would have thunk it. I haven't replied back yet... not really sure what to say. I'm humbled and at a loss for words and a bit star struck. I think I'll respond when we get home from the Oregon Coast on Sunday. Need to figure out what to say.

Work went well. Although I had trouble focusing... had a bad case of the iwantittobecaturdaynow-itis. Today's major milestone was getting my laptop hooked up to the multi-function printer system nearest me. It's the last generation model of the machine I'm providing manuals for. *squees* I did a few test prints and it was fun to see how fast the machine worked. That thing is so kewl. I totally want one for the perch, that is... if I had a few thousand laying around. But think of all the books and journals and zines I could publish. I know, I am such a paper dork. *gryns*

Left work at 4pm and decided to have a mini artist's date before going home. Basically this means that I went over to Border's Books to rescue a few books. Picked up the latest issues of both Writer's Digest (I couldn't wait for my subscription to start) and Writer's Journal (based off a recommendation from Jenn) as well as 2 more books. Yay for refugees. I finished the date off by visiting ColdStone for a milkshake and Whole Foods Market for some dinner.

Kender's off on Mt Hood tonight for the last night ski event, which means I have the whole Perch to myself now. Got my music playing on smudge, a kitten resting on the tuffet and a few books to wrap up. I couldn't ask for a more peaceful night of solitude.

And now, if you will excuse me, I have some serious reading to catch up on. And a cat who desperately wants my attention. Happy weekend everyone.

To Do List
-- have myself an artist's date: pick up new refugee books and magazines from Borders and read in solitude
-- Read
-- Write sketch of the day
-- Laundry
-- Pack for our weekend getaway to the oregon coast

Ye Olde Linkfest
Top 10 Grammar Myths A few good grammar tips to keep in mind when writing. Some of them are "DUH"-like; but a few are things I need to keep in mind. The rest of grammar girl's site is pretty interesting as well.

Unleash Your Inner Genius Short list of ideas from Lifehack.org that helps you quickly brainstorm ideas. I collect brainstorming techniques. Have been doing this since high school where I was determined to always have ideas to fit any situation or event for student government. What's kewl about this list is that it has some new ones that I haven't thought about before (like the random object solving the problem idea).

Current Works
Flash Fiction: Finished today's Sketch in about 4 minutes. Kender had me write about an elf who fires a cannon on a beach. It's cute, quick and funny.

Dayjob:Got a new project today. Create a glossary of part names and definitions. Should be fun. Also a good way to help me learn the product too.

Mundania
So very tired today. Had issues sleeping last nite. Of course the loss of sleep never makes for a good day. I had to refill some meds and accidently ordered the wrong one. Oops. So now I get to redo that tomorrow. I hope that we're able to go to bed early so I'm not a zombie this weekend. We're going to the coast for an overnight jaunt and I want to enjoy myself.

To Do List
--Chiro
--Refill prescriptions
--Pick friend up from Amtrak station
--Write and read
--Exercise
--Crash and sleep

Ye Olde Linkfest
Writer's Rooms Here's an interesting page from the Guardian that takes a peek into the rooms where writer's do their work in. I love seeing this stuph... being a voyeur into the lives of people whose work I admire. Maybe one day I'll show everyone what the space looks like around my desk (hint: it's totally littered with books and paper, I can hardly get in and out of my chair.)

The Literature Map This is a fun link. You type in the name of a writer and then watch it as it dynamically creates a mind map showing you the names of similar authors. The closer those writers are to the name you entered, the more likely you might enjoy those new authors. It's a great way to learn and find new writers to love and collect. Currently lists only FAMOUS ones. Didn't even recognize my name or my maiden name at all. *hrrumph*

Random Note: The word "rendition" seems strange to me, in an archaic sense.

Current Works
Flash Fiction: Kender gave me a new project to do tonight. Every day, I am supposed to write a 5 minute "flash fiction" story on an index card. He'll give me the topic and then I get to write a complete narrative that takes me no more than 5 minutes to do. This way, I complete a whole story in one day. And feel good about being a writer, and accomplishing something. Tonight's topic was on the heating vent next to my writing corner.

Dayjob: Learning the system and workflows that will be the bulk of daily writing.

Journals: Wrote in a few of my journals. Trying to "catch up" after having set it all aside for awhile.

DIYP: Started research for a few new review pieces. Need to write and get them up at some point. Also addressed a few miscellaneous items on the site.

Mundania
It's funny, now that I have a full time contract, I seem to be getting offers for my skillset from seemingly nowhere. Yesterday, I had to respond to a headhunter who was hiring for a company out in Beaverton. Today, I got solicited to submit my resume to another place who was looking for skilled workers. And this doesn't take into account the small projects I'm currently involved with in small companies on the web.

It's a good feeling to feel needed for one's talents. I went so long thinking that my skill-set was not up to par or undesirable that I worried and fretted. I tackled on so many personal projects so I could look more desirable on page. And here I am... having to turn down things. Such a weird place to be in for once. Now if I could only figure out the balance with time... I'll be all set to accept or turn down side projects accordingly.

To Do List
-- read
-- write
-- discuss more writerly things with Jenn

Ye Olde Linkfest
How to Write Remarkably Creative Content A short essay with a bit of a misguiding title. This piece reminds us all that creativity just isn't "art or seeing life in new ways" but a powerful tool that allows us writers to give value back to the world in our messages.

How to Take Notes Like an Alpha Geek A much longer and more in-depth article about how one geek takes notes. I love reading things like this, as it gives me ideas on how to incorporate new techniques into my productivity habits. His ideas aren't ground breaking but they are a good reminder of good organization habits for note taking.

Print On Demand Comparison Chart This link directly relates to my 2008 goal of self-publishing my own book. My friend Kim sent it to me. It gives a small list of POD sites and their merits and flaws. It's given me some food for thought on who I may end up going with to get my novel published. But it also doesn't list a few of the sites that I am checking into myself.

Current Works
Dayjob: Finished the project my boss had me do. Waiting to hear back from her contact on where to "publish" said things. Started reading information on the tools and workflow that I'll be using.

Renaissance Art: Mailed off an invoice to Arthur of this company regarding 4 pages he contracted me to rewrite for his domain. Inquired about more work.

Clear Access Rework: Continued reading doc. Still trying to decide if this is worth time and effort to rework and bring up to speed.

Mundania
Today was a hard day at work. I stayed up way to late last night, trying to get some writing for this site done and paid for it later. I finished my mini-project with little issues and then moved on to start reading some training docs for the workflow and systems I'll be using.

Of course, the noon nappiness set in and eventually my mind focused and wandered away from me right when one of my coworkers was trying to get my attention. Ugh. I wasn't slacking off... I was just reading and trying to grok what was being shown on my screen. I'm wondering if I should take some bee pollen before going into work. Cannot do caffeine, it makes me way to jittery.

Trying to NOT make that same mistake tonight. So I've finished my heavy hitting tasks that require me to be at this computer. Namely, this post and the invoice for Ren Art. I'm looking forward to writing in my paper journals and trying to get what's been eating me out and on the page. Who knows, maybe later, I'll have time to work on some article ideas that I've been thinking about doing lately.

I feel as if I am doing more planning than writing these days, but I blame the learning curve on the new job. Once I'm able to get into an adjusted and "normal" schedule, I hope to do more writing in the genres that I'm moving myself into. I'd like to finish a few more DIYP articles up before I return from my hiatus. But I guess we'll see what happens, shall we?

To Do List
--pick up new car from dealer (yes, we got an VW R32 hatchback)
--exercise
--read books
--write in journals
--create project cards for new articles (focus: one on tarot and one on tech comm)

Ye Olde Linkfest
Starting a Writing Critique Group Lifehack.org's somewhat useful but slim article on top 14 things to consider when thinking about joining a writing group. Some good tips in there to keep in mind.

Cleaning up fiction for writersThis guest article on Leo Babauta's new writing site discusses some tips to extend narratives for fiction writers. I'm hoping that these ideas come in handy for my edits to Touched.

Write One thing and do it wellAnother article from Babauta's site (it's called Write to Done, btw) that talks about how to simplify your writing process by picking ONE item to write about that day and focus on it completely until the work is done. While this is a great idea and one that I think I will try and incorporate into my own daily habits, I don't think I'll be able to do this as well as he can. I write for a living, so if I were to pick one thing... that would always be the dayjob that pays rent. However, I can modify this to mean: Pick ONE THING to write about in my personal career and do it well. So yeah, there's my new goal.

Current Works
Dayjob: I've been given my assignment on the new dayjob. Compile a list of current error codes used in the system and export them to MS Word. It took me all day to copy and paste the list and strip certain editing comments. Tomorrow I'll be breaking this mammoth doc out and putting it into sections and adding pictures.

Manuscript Editing: Haven't progressed on the editing since Saturday night. I did move it from the table back to my writing nook, though. Does that count?

Clear Access Report Edits: Set up new project cards for a new contract job I may be doing after work. This job is a small one, for kender's company. The job requires me to edit, redesign and clean up a pre-existing document and turn it into a customer focused Getting Started Guide. I read thru said document to get a better idea of what the scope and time it'll take to make it better.

Potlatch 17 Review: My personal thoughts and notes regarding my weekend trip to Seattle and Potlatch 17.

Mundania
I'm so terribly busy. This weekend I attended Potlatch 17 in Seattle and got home late. I am still trying to unpack and get back into the "new" flow of things. Of course, I'm still not used to the steady grind of an 8 hour work day. Twenty four hours doesn't seem like enough time anymore. I have new projects coming out of the wood works like crazy. I need to find time to schedule all the ideas I have floating in my head AND still attend to my husband and 3 cats.

Oh, and I decided to re-subscribe to Writer's DIgest Magazine. I was flipping through Kim's copy at the hotel and thought about how I needed to feel more connected to my profession. And magazines are one way that help me feel this way. She (and I agreed) said that I owed it to myself to get it and I did. I hope my copy comes soon. Otherwise I'll hafta go out and get the latest one.

To Do List
--dayjob tasks
--dinner at the Firkin & Ferg with friends
--Chiro
--Trash duties

Ye Olde Linkfest
Received today's links from an Society of Technical Communication Email I received this weekend. It had a bunch of good info in there that I wanted to share.

22 tips for writing software documentation users will actually read This article, while having a great opening line that defines what a technical writer does, gives 22 tips for making your documents totally usable and readable by audiences.

Reusable XML A good beginner article that describes what DITA is and how it and XML is used into creating single sourcing documentation. This article describes 6 levels of DITA that writers and companies can start adapting into their processes.

Six strategies for low-cost content management A lot of my friends and old coworkers seem to be coming to me for information on how they and their companies can start building reusable content and documentation systems. This article goes into some creative ways companies can start planning for CMS documemtation systems. I was hoping it'd go into applications and specific cheeper systems but it doesn't. For now, my favorite "all in one" system is Madcap Flare, but sadly it is Windows OS only. I have yet to research and uncover if there is a similar offering for the Mac side of things.

The website says that Potlatch is a "do it yourself" style convention. Unlike many cons, Potlatch doesn't have a full selection of panels and workshops. They have a minimal offering, mostly suggestions that are designed to get you talking to others. When you're there, they do have a postboard where attendees are encouraged to post "on the fly" seminars. These are called nanoprogramming.

However, this style convention seemed a bit TOO relaxed for my taste. I packed Thursday night and decided, after reading the final program billing, that this weekend was going to end up a working weekend. I packed several books, journals and my novel manuscript. The idea was, that if I didn't see anything I was interested in doing, I could use the time away from convention gatherings to work on my own stuff.

That seemed to be the best thing to do. We ended up only attending one of the main programs: a panel on atheism and how sci-fi fit into it. While an interesting idea, the panel devolved into a diatribe on beliefs and religion and hardly any writing and ways to elevate the notion that atheism is not just about "not having any beliefs."

My friend, Kim, who was one of the main reasons I went to Potlatch, summed up Potlatch best with, "potlatch seems to be a con for those who don't get to see much of each other when going to other conventions." Everyone seemed to know one another and got along very famously... while we, seemed to be on the outside, trying to figure out how to fit in.

We even tried to post a nanoprogram on Writers and Writing Groups but no one else joined in. We were hoping to hear back from people who've been in groups before and wanted to know what worked for them, how did they run and what worked, etc. Guess we'll hafta find out from others about their opinions at a later date.

This weekend wasn't a total disappointment. I DID need to get away from the house for a bit. Seattle was fun. This was the first time that I got to really spend some time in the University District. I got to revist the Gargoyles Statuary store (I haven't been there in over 10 years). We stayed at the Hotel Deca and I loved the art deco style. Our room had swirlies in the carpet and harlequin wallpaper. The beds were plush and had many pillows.

I worked on one DIY Planner article, read some articles and books that I had been putting off, and also started editing my novel (17 pages)! I also got to sit and chat with writer Jay Lake, who told me how he edits his books (he was preparing another manuscript to send to his publisher this weekend). He does 3 passes, one for grammar, one for structure, and a third for loose ends. Seems a bit light...but then again, I'm sure there's plenty of other reviews and drafts in there.

All in all, it was a nice weekend retreat but I am happy to be back home with my hubby and the cats. Potlatch 18 is going to be in San Francisco and I think I'll be sitting that one out. It just wasn't what I was hoping for and for me, doesn't warrant another chance.

Current Works
Tarot Article: Finished draft one yesterday and sent it out to my "trusted editors". Got some good feedback. Ended up revisioning and redoing most of it based on one person's feedback. Sent that draft to the other editor and got his input today. Read that over and will totally be fleshing things out tonight and tomorrow. Goal is to submit it tomorrow on the night of the lunar eclipse and full moon.

Dayjob: Cleaned up a few things on the current revision manuals and exported them to final PDF format. I'll be going in tomorrow for my last time to upload everything to the server and then send out my good bye message. I may also spend time with SM telling her where everything is just so she knows and has access.

Mundania
Had a pretty even day today. Got my ankle worked on by my chiropractic's massage therapist. He and I have never talked and he's got some really interesting stories on where he came from and his goals. Sounds like he's just as determined as I am in making dreams become realities. Just need to keep my eye on the end goal and focus on my projects.

The weather up here has been spring-time gorgeous. It's almost 6 p.m. and I've got the back patio open and the air is cool but feels so good. It's nice to get some fresh air in the Perch finally.

To Do List
-- massage appt.
-- work on tarot article
-- email Elizabeth
-- read review book
-- work out at gym

Ye Olde Linkfest
Perspective on the State of the Publishing Industry Interesting but long article on one writer's ideas on where the publishing industry's going and how it integrates with all this Web 2.0 stuff.