I remember when The Mini Page, do you, Dear Readers? See my retrospective blog here about what the Mini Page looks like a few years ago. Today it is much different. I know not everything can stay the same, but when I was visiting my Dad a couple of week ago, I saw this in the paper.
What use to be a 4 page spread with puzzles and cool factoids is now a long vertical page. There are none of the original characters: Mini Spy, Bassett Brown the News Hound, Mighty Funny, Etc. Back then there was a maze connect the dots, word search, try and find. No it seems they have simplified. There is a word search and a word scramble, and only 1 joke. All the 'characters' are all general kid faces, it seems plain and a little sad.
I guess that's what happens to things over time. The silver lining is that you can order books of The Mini Page. Still doesn't feel the same. I felt the same way when I saw how Sesame Street changed from what I remember it to be. The more things change the more they stay the same? Or better yet, if you stagnant then you will never move foreward.
Who remembers The Mini Page from the 1980s and 1990s? What was your favourte part, Dear Readers? I love the Mini Spy and the mazes.
Next, here's a new shot of the August Tree. It's a late evening shot, but you can still see some of the colour. She's a little more red. Its almost like a slow blush as if she realizes that people are watching her. The leaves are falling and it's been very dry. Could use some rain though. It's ironic since we started the summer with a lot of rain.
How is your end of summer going, Dear Readers? Any plans to cap of the summer and welcome the fall? What is exciting about the coming of Autumn?
This weekend, weather permitting will be a trip to Seabreeze for some frolicking and the following weekend 24 Hour Theatre with KLP (Monopoly Edition).
It was a rather full week, but I managed to keep up with a few goals. Going to make this short, as I am posting a day late. Seem when I travel out of town, I tend to get a little behind. Do you find that to be true, Dear Readers? Going out of town, having guests over cuts into your creative time?
This Week: *Reading: finished The Amber Spyglass (Phillip Pullman) and The Festival of Bones (James A. Owen). Found my rhythm again, so much so that I am now reading 5 separate books. Okay, a few I just started, but yeah, gonna be a challenge to not lost my place in the stories.
*Writing: successfully wrote writing blitzes Monday through Thursday for Modern Muses. Ended up writing a poem on Friday, but it was a poem that I meant to write last month but didn't. So I did write every during the week.
*Editing: I have been strict on this. This is important to me to finish this review of The Real Road Trip before August is over. I edited 5 pages from Monday to Sunday. At this rate I will probably finish either a day early, of only need 2 pages on the 31st. September will be the hard part, sitting down to input the edit, re-write the parts that are crap, organize into chapters, and do up some notes (kinda late on that one).
*Social Media: been a lot slack on this over the weekend. I still manged to catch my sponsor duties and I may go back a visit those whom I normally visit each week.
*Got some good re-connection time when I visited Fredonia with old high friends and friends I hadn't see since the last visit.
There is so much more to work on. I always seems to feel behind on Mondays, not sure why. I mean, I know why when I am out of town, but why regular weeks in general. I need to think about this, maybe a dose of meditation one evening would help. Monday just always feel rushed and pack to bursting, even If I get my ROW80 in on time. I thing I am going to devote ROW80 Sundays to the morning, no matter where I am. Anyway, I digress...
This (upcoming) Week: *Reading: bound and determined to finish Murder Comes Ashore (Julie Anne Lindsey), work on The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (Agatha Christie), and Invisible Moon (James A. Owen). I also have started Fragile Things (Neil Gaiman), Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (Douglas Adams). Murder Comes Ashore is part of a series of cozy mysteries featuring the counselor and part-time detective, Patience Price on Chincoteague Island.
*Writing: write daily, at least 300 words.
*Editing: 5 pages daily, or more. Finish review edit of The Real Road Trip.
*Social Media: get back on the wagon with visiting 4 blog daily and on sponsor duties.
Goals I let slide, but am going to return to them this week:
*Blogging: I really miss this. I non-ROW80 post a week should be easy. Going to find a day that I can devote to this goal. Maybe Tuesdays or Saturday (even though that's an unplugged day.
*Submissions: 2 new submission weekly. Maybe I will do this on my blogging day.
*Exercise: take a nice sized walk once a week with the Hubs.
That's it for this week. More to come, Dear Readers. My fall will be gearing up soon as Music Man auditions are this weekend (Thursday, Friday, and Saturday) with the first read through on 9/10, seeing as Labour Day is a bit late this year and the director is taking her vacation that week. It'll be good. Looking forward to a new theatre project and NaNoWriMo in this fall. So much too do, but yet the days are still nice. The peepers are peeping. And I have my #OneGoodCup as I write this.
I have new challenges to try (maybe Ready, Set, Write! and WWW), and OctPoWriMo coming up soon too. Stories are flowing outta my head and feeling much more peaceful and determined about my writing and theatre passions. Planning to return to a book to movie review this October too, but movies that were turned into books. Last years book to movie review month was scattered across more of 2015 than 2014. Oh well, this year is shaping up to be much better.
A Round of Words in 80 Days, blog challenge that knows you have a life. Come in a set a spell, we have cookies, coffee, tea, and cheesecake at the Blog Hop.
Its been a weird week, yet highly productive. The writing been good, as the editing too! I feel a great conviction to my writing. But there has been a shadow creeping over everything. Maybe it's the begins of the END OF SUMMER, maybe I am missing long or newly gone friends, or maybe I am just having a week off of my usual jovial self.
I mean, last week was birthday week, lots of fun stuff happened. This week, it was busy as usual and maybe I am missing the thrill of being busy. Music Man auditions are coming in a few weeks, will be stage managing for that. The cats have beaten the yearly bout with fleas (going to stick to a year around treatment to avoid this issue next year. It is clear autumn is not far away, but I am not ready to give up summer, just yet.
This week I was editing my NaNoWriMo Novel and I realized that as I was reading and taking notes, I was finding new snippet, bigger arcs, and more details about the characters. The characters are talking to me again. Feels good. So, question, Dear Readers, do you find that as to read your novels (when revising), or stories, or plays that you find more story to tell, or is it when you are making the edits that more story reveals itself? Or maybe it is a bit of both? How do you work best at editing? I seem to read along and make notes as I go. But I am curious to hear how you all edit.
Now onto the check-in... This Week: *Reading: making progress on each of the novels. Nothing completed, yet, but I have crossed the halfway mark with The Amber Spyglass (Phillip Pullman), and The Festival of Bones (James A. Owen), and almost to the halfway point of Murder Comes Ashore (Julie Anne Lindsey). Seriously, Patience Price is so stubborn, but I really like that in her character. Will have review upon complete of these three books.
threshold on two of them. I am over half done with
*Writing: wrote Monday (about 700+ words), Tuesday (838 words), and Wednesday (979 words) and this ROW80 post. Pretty proud of that. Going for 5 days this week!
*Editing: The Real Road Trip, Monday edited 4 pages and Tuesday about 3 pages. It is a daunting project, but I am determined. I want to edits completed by end of August. Will work on typing the edits and fleshing it out in September.
*Blogging: I posted my WIPpet Wednesday post yesterday, because I was excited to share my other new WIP Modern Muses.
*Social Media: visited 4 blogs and sponsor duties daily. I am keeping up with this more often and its beginning to become habit now. w00t!!
This (upcoming) Week:
*Reading: finish The Festival of Bones and Murder Comes Ashore.
*Writing: write daily, at least 300 words. Not ready to bump it up. I want to solidify that I can consistently write 700+ daily for at least a month.
*Editing: 4 pages of The Real Road Trip (NaNoWriMo 2014) daily.
*Blogging: 1 new non-Row 80. I did it earlier this week, let's try again.
*Submission: 2 new submission. I will figure out why I am not get this goal each week.
*Social Media: 4 blog visits daily from both ROW80 and WIPpet Wednesday. I missed checking in with those peeps!
A Round of Words in 80 Days is a blog challenge that knows you have a life. Why don't you join us? Got a blog? Set up some goals and check-in twice a week. Learn a bit about writing, meet some new friends, and write!!! :-) Come on in to the Blog Hop!
Short week and feeling pretty good. Feel much more productive and positive today. Had a bit of an
epiphany about my writing and my goals for A Round of Words and Beyond. Happy to say I am going full tilt, so let's get this started.
I think this mood is partially because of my recent acquisition of Scrivener. Having been through the tutorial and am actually excited to start using it. Also, my friend James Owen has started a new page to his life with the e-book releases of all three of his Meditation Trilogy (Drawing Out the Dragons, The Barbizon Dairies, and [for the first time], The Grand Design). He is offer Drawing Out the Dragons free at his site The Awesomist Revolution through September 10th.
This week:
*Read "Abhorsen". I'm on Chapter 29, and rounding third of the book. Really good! I have loved revisiting Sabriel, Touchstone, Sameth, and Lirael's stories. Also, read a bit more of "Misty of Chincoteague", and while not a long read I get into one book and forget to read others that are in progress. Planning a blog around Misty, which includes reading some more of M. Henry's other books.
*Visited fellow bloggers blogs yesterday, about 4. At 4 for the week, add 3 or 4 today, will be doing pretty good with that goal. Now to keep up with it. I have decided to set time to visit and read others stuff each day to help attain it.
*Blogged last night. That's one for the week. One more and that'll be the start of the twice weekly blogging.
*Wrote a bit with my Word Sparks.
Still working on:
*Revision Time! Yeah, this hasn't happened yet. Working on it.
*Submission Time! Honestly, I haven't had the proper time to work on this. Going to make time this week and block out submission time during the week.
*Exercise Time! I have slacked on this. Even with the forthcoming winter (I know I shouldn't cuss on the internet). There is a full three weeks of Summer left, and after that Fall has decent weather to allow for exercise time. I want to get back to where I was when I was unemployed. When I had the time to work out. Work in progress, Babe!!
*Write! Yeah, this will always be on this part of the list. :-)
Remember to visit the Blog Hop of fellow AROW80-ers! It's good karma :-)
My mind has been on the end of summer, the return to school, and the beginning of the cooler and darker months. getting a little thoughtful. I am going to miss the summer nights and the greenery. Even though I love the foliage change, the crisp mornings, pumpkin spice, Halloween, and snuggling under warm blankets. There is a sadness that hangs over me right after labour day. Possibly a throwback to my days as student and returning to school? Or maybe my young friends who are seniors in High School, or the little ones starting Pre-K? Change is on the horizon and sometimes I get a little sad, but it is not bad, just thoughtful. I think I will haiku online later. It's turned into a form of therapy, writing haiku. That and listening to music.
Question for you, Dear Readers. What music do you listen to when you are feeling sad, angry, happy? I float between Meatloaf, Great Big Sea, and Celtic Woman.
Okay so vacation sometimes interrupts the flow a little, right?
Yes, I did get distracted and was a little impeded, but it was for a worthy cause. All work and no play...something something... Well...it is the last of the summer days, even though summer goes until the Autumnal Equinox, it is the end of the summer when the kids return to school, teachers get busy, and the smell of all things pumpkin return, as well as bonfire, foliage change, and sweater weather. All wonderful things, but this mean summer must come to an end.
It was quite warm yesterday, and then today VERY muggy with some rain. What little time I have before the end of summer I am trying to enjoy with as much gusto as I can afford. But there are always other things happening and going on. This is my life. Anyway...
I took a few days off to have a long 5 day Labour Daybour weekend from the day job, this included a trip to the State Fair Thursday (more on that tomorrow), a weekend visit with my Dad and Aunt, and also watching Doctor Who last night with the Loves and getting my final birthday present. That being said, new stuff happened and creative juices did flow.
Onto the bullet points!
Since Wednesday:
*I am at the 300 page of "Abhorsen", and two chapters into "Misty of Chincoteague". "Misty is an easy read and plan to finish it by Monday night. I bought some more books at a Salvo in Cortland, NY. The laat two days I haven't read with company in town, but you know how that goes.
*Wrote a bit on something that could turn into a story at least. Enjoying having daily writing prompts to write from. Good news though, there are some creative prospects coming up that involve me and writing a lot; 24 Hour Theatre in September and November too, the Xmas show in Hammondsport, and I just talked to the writer-in-residence of the Old Havana Courthouse Theatre with the owner and they would be interested in seeking out new and upcoming writers of Melodramatic Shows. I talked to him about the prospect of writing a melodrama for Old Havana. So, now I have something to write for. Oh, and I have Scrivener now too!! So, while I haven't written everyday this past week, I have written something. Stretching the muscles and at least keeping literally (as in literate and literary) limber!
*Blogged one day this week, so I am on track with that goal. The aim is twice a week, not counting the Round of Words check-in blogs. Have two ideas in process, one is an interview and another is the return of my book to movie reviews (4 reviews, 1 blog post a week). More to happen next week.
*Have visited at least 3 blogs on Wednesday. Will make that goal today too. Now I need to set aside time to visit fellow bloggers each day. After thinking about it this past week, I think that is how I will break past this particular "goal ceiling".
*I have been utilizing social media more to interact with fellow writer and share my words and stuff. This is an important thing!
NEW CONCEPT WORD! Goal Ceiling - (noun) The block that keeps you from going past a goal.
That which fell short:
*Journaling. I did not journal at all this past week. Not sure why, I had the time, but my motivation in that department fell a bit short. Well, no time to dwell on the bad, there is next week to look forward to.
*No new submissions. This hasn't totally bother me yet, because I am currently working on getting work ready to submit to new places or other places that have said I should submit to their next issue. This gives me the hope I think I needed. Friends can offer advise, but when you get a complement and constructive criticism from the journal, that makes me feel good.
*Do not do any revision. This is the part that I felt worst about. It's what I NEED to do. It's always on my list. I need to remember what I wrote just above this when I have an off revision week.
*I had been keeping a sticker journal of my goals, but while I was working on Tarzan I fell short and stopped doing it. I think it's time to start that up again. It seems to help me get more results.
The best parts of this weekend were finally getting Scrivener, which I will be playing with today and tomorrow, before I have to return to the real world of the day job. One of my best friend bought it for me. She is one of my biggest backer in my push/dream to be a writer, including the Hubs. It is a big jump and I am ready to go for it.
Then there is the new Doctor, oh life is good indeed. That makes Saturday pretty freaking awesome.
I have a bunch of little theatre events that will be occurring through the Autumn and into the Winter with 2 Hour Theatre, Halloween Improv, the Ghost Walk (a walking tour of Montour Falls and the Ghosts of the famous denizens who lived there), Xmas Shows, and of course NaNoWriMo too. Will be a busy end to 2014, but I do thrive on being busy. I am looking forward to it though. Really feeling good about everything, Dear Readers. I just need to keep focused, plan my time better, and be Brave! AllonsY, Geronimo, and Gallifrey Stands!!
BTW, Sara Bareilles is the awesome!!!
Remember to visit the Blog Hop and cheer us ROW-ers onto the final weeks of Round 3!
Next, here's a new shot of the August Tree. It's a late evening shot, but you can still see some of the colour. She's a little more red. Its almost like a slow blush as if she realizes that people are watching her. The leaves are falling and it's been very dry. Could use some rain though. It's ironic since we started the summer with a lot of rain.
