Fighting the whelm

If someone were to ask me 'RUOK?' today, my answer would probably be 'not really'. I am paralysed by whelm today. My revisions mountain seems too high to climb. Writing is too hard. I am worried about my tired, over-the-school-term-completely children. And my house is a mess.

But I take a deep breath and hang out the washing. Because it's just today.

Tomorrow is Saturday. In Spring. And my crabapple tree is blooming.

I know that RUOK Day was officially yesterday. But I think it should be an everyday kind of thing. So I hope that you are feeling okay. If not, I hope that for you it's just today, too.

We'll start again tomorrow.

The holy trinity of publishing

Today I found myself within the holy trinity of writing/publishing. I was proofreading one book (for my good friend Allison Dobell), working through edits/revisions on a second, and thinking about the writing of another (a corporate project, which finds me bamboozled at times by some quite technical details).

An ending. A middle. A beginning. In reverse order, and requiring some serious head-hopping as I changed my various hats and tacks.

The writing process does not begin and end with the writing. If you're hoping that you can write your beautiful words and then let an editor 'sort the rest', it's probably time to pick up the nearest grammar book.

Writers write. They edit, pruning their sentences, killing their darlings, trying to remember whether that character had green eyes on page 53 or blue. They proofread their own work.... very, very carefully, knowing how distracting it is as a reader to find a typo in a published book.

There are, of course, specialists in all these areas to help along the way, but the book goes out with your name on it. If you're like me, you want to be proud of every word, sentence and, gasp, semi-colon.

When I write, I don't edit. I just bash it out, throwing xxxxx in where I can't think of the words. When I edit, I try to keep track of every stream and string within the story, knowing that if I pull a frayed thread out in chapter three, I'm going to need to see it through in chapter 14 - and every mention along the way.

When I proofread, I look at every word. Every. Single. Word. When I learnt to do this, back in my days as a cadet journalist, I was given a printed version and told to read it from the bottom up, backwards. That way you see the actual words, not the words that you think are there. And I always, always check the large type extra carefully after my Molloy incident.

Three manuscripts. Three approaches.

As Mondays go, it was a pretty good one.

Are you in the process of writing, editing or proofing? How's it going for you?

[Image: Hilda Grahnat]

Why we read blogs... and a winner

I've just spent a good hour going through the 65 entries to the $100 books giveaway. "Tell me why you read blogs," said I, off the top of my head, needing to make the giveaway a game of skill.

I got more than I bargained for.

Here is a small selection of the reasons that people read blogs. I found them illuminating, and hope you do too.

•"I read book blogs because I am a book nerd, I read mummy blogs so I don't feel quite so bad about my own parenting decisions and I read cooking blogs because I have 5 fussy eaters and meal inspiration died sometime ago." - ShelleyRae

•"To laugh and to learn, To peek and to ponder, To read and to writhe, To listen and wonder." - Kelly

•"...to find crafty crap I can make to fill my house with, because there's nothing on tv, because I should be doing the housework, because they make me laugh or because they make me cry!" - Kel

•"It's the voyerism. The chance to have a 'micro' holiday and live in France, Italy, by the beach, back in London, own a chateau,go hiking in Nepal, travel first class overseas etc, etc, etc." - LissaJane

•"I read blogs to try to figure out why people read blogs. It's truly fascinating to see the interaction on blogs. Some blogs are so specific (eg gardening) and I love to read the Q&As between blogger and bloggee and the exchange of information as well as plants and seedlings. I sometimes wonder why people read my blog too..." - Ambadambra

•"I read some blogs for the brain food. I read some blogs for the 'YES! That has happened to me too!' moments. I read some blogs for the 'YIKES! I hope that never happens to me' moments. I read some blogs to learn about things I don't know about. I read some blogs to learn about things I thought I knew about." - Emily

•"Choosing to read blogs is like creating your own perfect dinner party. I seek out the ones I like the most, where I can feel a connection to the author (even though they don't know me and probably never will!). I love to hear what they have to say, I love to see things from their perspective" - Becthewordsmith

•"I hope it's not that I'm nosey, but I do know I have an absolute fascination for reading about people's lives. I like to know how people think, what they think and why they think that way. My favourite blogs are ones where people just chat about their everyday lives honestly and openly. Though, sometimes it's hard to know whether they're being honest or telling a good yarn!" - NaturallyCarol

•"The blogs I tend to read are unmitigated, written from the heart and bypass any agendas. They are fresh, fast and may at times be furious however when it comes from the heart you can feel that energy." - Pixelrites

•"Each time I read a blog I feel like Alice must have when she fell down the the rabbit hole, immersed in new, unfamiliar worlds and absolutely curious." - Sharni Montgomery

•"I'm JUST starting to read blogs! I'm overawed that I've sat around reading novels for years, whilst there's a whole underworld of blog writing going on that I never even knew existed, until now. I feel like that archaic-behind-the-times-mum that still launders cloth handkerchiefs, makes her children say "Thank-you for having me" after playdates and has no idea of the names of the boys in 'One Direction!'" - colisf

And so on... seriously, thank you all so much for responding from the heart. You have given me so much to think about and reminded me of all I love about blogging. The beauty, the rawness, the people, the connections - the stickybeak factor!

Unfortunately, there can be just one winner and that winner is... drum roll please...

Anecdotal Anna for this lovely little piece of wordcraft:

"oh the possibilities of what you'll see
of what they know
how they say it so.

The connection
the laughs
the traversing of life's different paths.

It is for these reasons
I concede
many blogs I like to read"

Please email me at taitallison7 [at] gmail [dot] com Anna and I'll organise your Booktopia voucher!

Thank you all for joining in my little comp and for visiting the Fibro. I'm always so happy to see you.

[image from here]

The School For Fully Functioning Adults

It occurred to me today that I have reached my 40s (let's not talk about how far down that road I am) without becoming a fully functioning adult. I mean, there are just things that I don't know how to do yet. To whit:

• Buy pillows. I need a new pillow. Really badly. To the point where I wake up with a sore neck and an unhappy disposition. And yet I have not managed to buy myself a new pillow. I realised when I went to the shops that I had never bought a pillow for myself. All my pillows come from my long-suffering mother. She went through a phase where she was looking for a new pillow and I pretty much just inherited all the pillows that didn't work for her. So I had pillows by default and that worked well.

Now, however, she is happy with her pillow. And I am in need of one. So I must get my own.

How do you work out which one is right for you when you can't lie down on them for 12 hours to give them a test run? Am I a medium person? Firm? High? Duck feather? Latex? Oh. My. God. Talk about Option Paralysis.

A friend told me that Ikea has a pillow wall. Or bar. Or something. I forget. You can test the pillows. But on a wall, or a bar, or something. Not on a bed. This doesn't seem to be a solution for me.

Advice please. How the hell does a person buy a pillow?

• Sew. Anything. Buttons. Hems. Anything. I did sewing in year 8 at school. I should be able to do this. But I am also saddled with what is generally known as a Distinct Lack Of Interest and I have no idea how to overcome that.

Advice please. How does one foster an interest in mending?

• Cook fish. Here's a confession: we rarely eat fish in this household, let alone three times a week. Oh, we love quality tinned tuna (Sirena only), fish fingers, and takeaway fish and chips on occasion, but I am categorically useless at cooking fish. I am of the cook-the-crap-out-of-it school of fish chef, and my last attempt, at barbecuing some fillets, has gone done in the annals of Fam Fibro history as Mum's Worst Meal EVER.

I'm never sure what to buy and then never sure what to do with it once I get it home. I even went to a course once at the Seafood School and yet, here I am. I suspect there is no hope for me, but even so, any advice?

I am sure that real adults do not suffer from these deficiencies. They do everything well, competently and with assurance. They have lovely pillows, no loose buttons floating around the house, and eat perfect fish three times a week.

Or not.

Are there things that you don't know how to do yet? What courses would you set for a School For Fully Functioning Adults?

[Image from here]

Instagram: A year in my garden

The Builder and I are preparing for a hard weekend of mulching. Literally truckloads (okay, one truck) are arriving on Friday, to be dispatched, by hand, into The Old Girl's waiting beds. The weeding is finally done (or as done as it can be - I'm sure they're out there, popping up as I type this).

With spring upon us, though, I am out in the garden every day, having a look. There's so much activity and so many gorgeous bits and bobs to discover. Like the blossom bursting from the crab apple's bare branches. And the last rose of winter (or is it the first rose of spring?). And the tiny little grevillea flowers tucked down in the back corner, Mecca for the tiny little birds that swoop in and out to drink its nectar all day.

Seriously, this garden is blowing my mind (and my back, now that I mention it).

One thing The Builder and I discussed was keeping a diary, so that we'd know what popped up where and when. I've been taking happy snaps... and then I had a sudden thought. Remember this post about Instagram? Where I was all up on my serious case of envy and complete inability to take pictures? I've decided to change that.

I've started my own hashtag on Instagram - #ayearinmygarden. Every Monday I will post an image from my garden, with a date and plant name where I can, and just a hashtag (as per today) where I have no idea what I've photographed. So far, I am a party of one. I'd love it if you joined me. You only need a pot plant to play - it will look different every week for sure.

Anyway, would love to share garden goodness with you if you're keen - I'm AllisonTaitWriter if you're looking for me. And, for everyone else, it should be noted that I'm pretty sure my obsession with pictures right now is down to the fact that re-drafting my novel is taking up SO many words. When it gets too hard, I can go outside and look at the blossom, snap a pic and it all feels so much better.

I'm sure normal transmission (and terrible images of graffiti cockroaches) will resume any minute now.

Oh, and before I forget, don't forget my giveaway - $100 worth of books from Booktopia. Just leave a comment, as per this post, to enter. You have until midnight on Thursday!

Giveaway: Win $100 worth of books

In the past few weeks I have been discussing several different terms for blogging with my sisters. Slogging comes to mind. Flogging comes to mind. Even plain old logging, on those days when you can't see the wood for the trees.

But one of the main reasons that I blog is the fabulous people that I've met through blogging. In particular, the ones who pop in here on a regular basis to say hello, let me know what they're thinking, tell me I need to get over myself, and, on occasion, laugh at my feeble jokes.

It's taken nearly three years, but there are now more than 1000 fabulous folk who've signed up via the Google network to drop into the Fibro regularly. I thought it was a landmark worth celebrating, so I've decided to run a giveaway, just to say thank you.

To win a $100 gift voucher to spend at Booktopia, one of my favourite online booksellers, all you have to do is to leave a comment below.

To make this a game of skill, for that is what it must be, tell me why you read blogs. Or, why you don't read many if that's the case.

Most creative answer, as judged by me, will win. Those who share the love on Facebook or Twitter will be granted extra points for, um, creativity (though, of course, I can never be bought by such things... cough...).

You have until 12 midnight (AEST) next Thursday (6 September) to enter, and winner will be announced here at the Fibro next Friday (7 September).

$100 just to spend on books. Any books. All for you.

Thank you.

[image: from here]