Storytime

Every now and then I like to give myself a little push and choose a month where I write a poem every day. They don't have to be fantastic (let's face it, chances are they won't at all) but at the end of the month you have a slew of poems that you wouldn't have written otherwise. Often called the Dirty Thirty... or there is a month designated for it such as NAPOWRIMO....I dither and dather and choose a month at random. I did like the alliteration of A POEM A DAY FOR MAY. I have known of writers who are so organised, they set themselves up with a list of subjects and themes/ topics they want to tackle and so when they begin they already have a mindset. I, of course, am not that organised. I stumble onto a few words here, few more there. Most of the poems occurred because of something I did that day, or saw, or felt. There are poems about the wait for rain....how the world's problems are solved one sleepless night, only to recur the next night, and the n...

Oh yes...the fun...the joy....the bitterness...the depths of despair...the OMG WHAT HAVE YOU DONE. All of the above happens when you are working on something you have written, worked on, and are now doing a big redraft. The hard part, well ONE of the hard parts, is of course you begin a novel days ....weeks...months....  years ago. So the voice has changed, the tone has changed...rhythm and nuance have been tweaked. I have also changed the names of two characters - which leads to OMG WHO IS THIS PERSON when I'm on page 197. I'm sure characters hairstyles have changed (and perhaps colour too)... I'm also noting down time lines, character arcs...the whole IS THIS CHAPTER NECESSARY? And WHAT DOES THIS CHAPTER ACHIEVE? All good things to focus on. It's often so difficult to see the big picture, no matter how long you leave a piece of work. In your mind you know what motivates that character, and why this character has an intense dislike of relationships...bu...

I've just had two weeks holiday. Actually I have a few more days left of said holiday, but my two weeks are nearly up. Sadness 😢 It has been a very good two weeks...and even though I intended to sit back and do nothing, or as close to nothing as possible I have actually done a lot. I went to visit my sister and her menagerie. This trip I took my daughter and grandson. Nothing like some time in the country with family. Little Leobear loved it. So many animals to pat and see... And most enjoyed it. We walked...we played... we sat on the front verandah and pondered the universe. We went to the gallery to see some of my sister's art... It was a very much needed respite by all three of us. Then there was Mother's Day and I did this.. Mother's Day Classic...proving that I am fitter than I thought I was and that you do feel your legs after a very quick 8 kilometres are accomplished! I have done a hell of a lot of gardeni...

I'm always fascinated by how people can see the exact same thing but view it so differently. It's all down to our perspectives. One the weekend Other Half and I went for a lovely drive to Mount Macedon. We wanted to check out the autumn tones and it was so beautiful. *and yes I do live in the Dandenong Ranges where we have our own autumn leaves in full glory but we thought we'd check out some place different. It was a beautiful day, even if grey, cloudy, misty at the top of the mountain and cold. Other Half stopped at a few places to take some snaps and (I've known this for a long time) it reinforced how different we are. We can see exactly the same view, vista, moment in front of us...and we both choose a different angle. We would be out of the car, he facing one way taking a photo, me facing the other taking my photo. And if we did take a photo of the same thing, same building or tree or mountain...we framed it differently. I really love the fact...