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Viewing: Blog Posts Tagged with: January, Most Recent at Top [Help]
Results 1 - 14 of 14
1. My Writing Scrap Book

by Addy Farmer

Did you know that January used to be known as the Wolf month? Well, that's what the Anglo Saxons knew it as - when food was so scarce that the wolves dared to enter the villages. There's still something of the wolf about January...

How'll I find those ideas??

Now, January is a time of non-wolf voluntary dieting. It's when garden life seems to hibernate (usually) and the shops are like old news and Christmas sparkle is packed away. But January is also fresh-faced and full of promise; maybe you wrote an entire novel in November with NaNoWriMo? Maybe you packed in some story-making during the Christmas holiday? Now in the month of the brand new year you have sent your precious babe out into the woods in the hope that she is picked up by someone who will love her to bits.  Even if you are not waiting and waiting, sometimes January can be a curiously creatively empty month. So it's best to crack on and fill it with ideas because you never know - one of them might become a proper real story.
“What are you?" I whispered.
He shrugged again.
"Something," he said. "Something like you, something like a beast, something like a bird, something like an angel." He laughed. "Something like that.”
David Almond - Skellig
Really, I'd like to take a short cut to stories and have a massive brain capable of downloading and storing all the ephemera and whimsical bits and bobs of images and words that tickle me. Then I could have a good old rummage during January and pick out the ones which appeal the most. But my brain won't let me do that; ideas and information mostly end up as some sort of Mindless Mind Palace.


So what to do? I write them down on a scrap of paper which I lose. Or pop an idea into a notebook in close type and think that it's the most marvellous idea EVER and then never go back to it. Or keep it in a box ready for Doomsday and forget where the box is. Useless? No, not at all because somewhere, something happens and my brain sifts and sorts so that far from being a palace it becomes more of a compost bin and every so often something germinates.

Food for thought
Polly Dunbar has put together some lovely thoughts on ideas ideas...




Soooooo, ideas and where to always be able to find them.


Weird Science. 

This is a great source of fun and inspiration. How about The Henn-na Hotel, which translates to "strange hotel," and is staffed almost entirely by robots. Or some very important research which answers the question, 'Where should Americans retreat in the event of a zombie apocalypse?' The answer to this and more science stuff can be found in Live Science.


Old inventions

With their tortuous methods and construction old inventions make my heart skip a beat. In fact, I like then so much that I based an entire character around them with my Wilf's World Blog. Wilf loved inventions (as should we all) like the fantastically named Tempest Prognosticator or the more ordinarily named lawnmower and its inventor, Edward Bear Budding. A lot of these Victorian inventors also had brilliant names like Sir Godlsworth Gurney who invented giant machines for heating large spaces like cathedrals and who nearly blew up the Houses of Parliament.

The Tempest Prognosticator - early weather machine

News stories for new stories. 

There is so much weirdness out there (or maybe I'm just very tame) and it's interesting to be an onlooker

You Can Now Pay To Have Someone Call Your Friend As A Turtle

The Huffington Post is a repository of odd stories. Who wouldn't want to have a call from a turtle and mistake it for a real turtle who has gained astonishing super-powers and sends your hero off on a trail of the mad scientist who has captured this innocent creature and seeks to exploit it ...

Fly-tipper sought to blame imaginary twin brother for his crimes

Brunch news reports a fly-tipper who blamed an imaginary identical twin for illegally disposing of car tyres. Yep, there's a story right there ...

Blame the other one
And inevitably, there is Buzzfeed for the best cat stories and other strange-but-trueness

This Cat Making Biscuits On Himself Is The Most Magical Thing Ever


Images

There are some images that I've taken or seen which stick in my head. I keep everything on Flickr.

Honey and Izzy fall out about who is trundling through the bendy tube first

Stuck in the mud 

Wheel on fire

Ruin in the woods

Tell me a story

Books by the side of the bed. 

Along with my to-read pile, there is also a permanent stack of books which I go for ideas.

Fantastic book for spooky/funny/ridiculous stories

Magic is real ...
dipping in to find stories behind stories

There is so much more, so many places you can go, places you can see, people you can meet, astonishing stories to uncover. They won't all stick but they'll be one or two that do and what fun there is in the finding. Finally and perhaps most importantly ...



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2. Happy New Year 2016!

2016NewYear

Happy New Year! My wife was asking me for a New Year’s baby– so this one is for her.

The 2015 retrospective I promised on Thursday should be up on Monday morning. And hopefully by that time I will have decided what I’m going to do on this site for the next year.

The post Happy New Year 2016! appeared first on rob-peters.com.

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3. A Blizzardy Update

Autumn and Ducks in Tallahassee

A longtime reader wrote to ask if everything’s okay. He was concerned because I post here so rarely.

Everything is okay! My stepdaughter, Autumn, turned twenty-one! Often I still think of her as the little waving girl in the photo above. But she is an astounding young woman, a clear and compassionate thinker, a poet, a gift, my only child. Also, my goddaughter and her mom moved away. I miss them tons. And my cats died, a few months apart. Oof, as my friend Carrie says. That was sad. 

After Emily’s death in July, we got Florian to keep Percy company, and then after Percy’s death in November we didn’t want Florian to be alone, so we got Wanda. They’re great — we’re so comforted by their companionship and antics — but losing pets is as awful as Laurie Anderson says. I actually got Emily after I lost my dog, Ripley, back in 1997. After Emily’s death, I finally felt ready to have a dog again, but our coop doesn’t allow them. Neither, for that matter, did Percy.

Right now there’s a blizzard outside. I’m drinking water and tea and working on my book, which is usually what I’m doing, unless I haven’t refilled the water and tea recently.

The manuscript is due in 2016, and I asked for regular installment deadlines with my editor to keep myself on task, and I’m so busy writing that I actually got excited when an app I use to keep myself from wasting time online malfunctioned for a few weeks. It cut off my access to half the Internet, including this very site. I’m also working on a related profile-essay thing that’s taking me a long time to finish to my satisfaction, and I’m very excited about it. And I’ve been doing a lot of weird, wide-ranging reading, which I’m sure will all be reflected in my book, if you’ve missed my meandering fixations.

I hope to fixate here, too, from time to time. Until that happens, or in case it doesn’t, you can as usual more frequently find me on Twitter, Tumblr, The Begats (my other Tumblr), Instagram, and Facebook. It’s also possible to sign up for my verrrry sporadic “ideas and intimacies” dispatches at Tiny Letter. And I’ll be speaking at A.J. Jacobs’ Global Family Reunion on June 6, if you’d like to catch up in person.

For now, we’ve just gotta get through January. And I keep reminding myself, so I’ll remind you, too: the days are already getting longer.

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4. January Blues…

I love January, but my sweet homeschool kiddos don’t seem to love it quite as much. Thus, a blues poem for my girls and all the students who wish they were still on  Christmas vacation…   School is in session Equations are flying Students are moaning Brain cells are frying Reading and painting Dividing and…

3 Comments on January Blues…, last added: 1/10/2015
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5. January is here — and I’m loving it!

It’s strange. From October to December, there seems to be very little time to do much other than marvel at how fast time flies. I do as much as I can to get done what needs to be done. I love that time of year, even the hustle and bustle of it all. But from…

3 Comments on January is here — and I’m loving it!, last added: 1/5/2015
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6. another mermaid added to the series...

little garnet haired Claret.

FOR SALE HERE:

Claret is the next mermaid to join my series of mythical little beauties. and, the first finished painting since my third neck fusion surgery, 6 wks ago. hard to believe it's been 6 weeks already. hoping the neck brace comes off this week, as painting with it on hasn't been exactly the most comfortable of experiences. but hey, no complaints, as long as the hand works :)

working on December's mermaid next (my favorite month of all)....appropriately named Wynter, based on the gorgeous gemstone, blue topaz.

a peek of Wynter can be found in the pics below. really looking forward to painting her....:)

© the enchanted easel 2013
© the enchanted easel 2013

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7. meet little Claret....

January's mermaid, based on the gemstone garnet.

i actually started this piece in the beginning of April, before the recent neck fusion surgery. i'm 4 weeks out and starting to get back into my groove...slowly. i've been painting here and there over the last week or so. of course it's not enough, but it'll have to do for now. trust me, i would hold that paintbrush 24/7 if i could.

anyhoo, i just have to put the finishing touches on her and i will hopefully have her scanned and listed FOR SALE tomorrow or saturday.

oh painting, how i've missed you so.....




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8. a garnet haired mermaid named claret....

january's mermaid.

i haven't been blogging (or painting much for that matter) as i am waiting to have a cervical spine fusion in the next week. don't ask...

anyhoo, i'm trying to take it easy (which is next to impossible for me) and paint a little bit at a time, as i have pain that shoots all the way down my painting arm. needless to say the last few weeks have been pretty challenging.

i've had this beauty drawn up for a bit now and have slowly been working on her. hoping to have her done before the surgery and posted FOR SALE.

after that, i'll be taking it a bit slower than usual for a while as i will be constrained to a neck brace for a few weeks. so during that time, even if i can't work at the easel, i will hopefully be able to draw and sketch from my couch.

then i'll be back better and stronger than ever 'cause my drive definitely outweighs my small size!;)



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9. They’re Coming Out Soon!

I’ve been working on my list of January 2013 releases by authors of color. Last year, I was able to list 17 January releases and this year I’ve found 8. I’m going to continue to do some searching and publish my list tomorrow. Please!! Feel free to mention MG and YA titles of which you’re aware. You can find my list beginning to for on the bottom of this page.  9b21e44c0f44cfd581098e7bfb5a7e69

As I’ve been gathering titles, I ran across a publishing company with which I haven’t been familiar: Tiny Satchel Press. What a wonderful find! Tiny Satchel was found by columnist, award winning journalist, cancer survivor and community leader Victoria Brownworth. In an interview with Lambda Iiterary, she gave the following insights into Tiny Satchell Press.

___________________________________

Let’s talk about the new imprint. What was the inspiration behind Tiny Satchel?

I’d been acquiring and editing young adult books for five or six years for a mainstream publisher. I was enjoying doing it, but I kept being aware that some books I pitched would get the “we don’t think there’s a readership or audience for that.” And consistently it seemed to me to be books with characters of color or queer. It started to irk me. My own fiction always has a political undercurrent I just don’t think anyone can be too young to have a range of characters with whom to identify. I wanted more range. So I wanted to provide books that I would want to read if I were nine or 12 or 15.

One of the biggest complaints I hear from young readers and parents is that there are few middle-grade books coming out with LGBT themes, why do you think that is?

Fear and money. Publishing is unbelievably expensive. Printing is expensive. Marketing is expensive. Writers and editors have to make a living. The tried-and-true is easy.

___________________________________

HOORAY for Tiny Satchel!

In January, they’ll be releasing Bereft by Craig Laurance Gidney.

41YhaYH7AHL._SL500_AA300_

Rafael Fannen is a 13-year old boy who has won a minority scholarship to Our Lady of the Woods, an all male Catholic college preparatory school. Winning the scholarship quickly turns into a nightmare, as Rafe has to deal with the racism of his fellow students and his teachers. In addition to the culture shock, Rafe also has to deal with his burgeoning sexuality. Rafe is caught staring at Toby, an attractive and charismatic classmate, in the shower, Toby begins a relentless campaign of bullying against Rafe, including violent encounters.
When Rafe decides to fight back and take control of his life, the lives of everyone around him will change. But none more than his own.Bereft addresses the issues of bullying, sexuality, child abuse, mental illness and racism in a haunting and deeply compelling style.source

Filed under: Causes, New Books Tagged: January, Tiny Satchel Press

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10. A January Sketch
















While driving somewhere yesterday I actually forgot what month it was, seeing as how it's been so spring-like outside, and there's been no real snow here since the freak October snowstorm. Unlike this time last year. (Scroll down for pup & snow photo!)

Still, I think ice skating belongs in January.

7 Comments on A January Sketch, last added: 1/11/2012
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11. This was the month that...


...I didn't conquer the world (but the world also didn't conquer me).



Monthly Word Count: 25,052 words
Best Day: 3729 words
Worst Day: 70 words
Days Off: One

Acceptances: 0
Rejections: Oh boy!
Determination to Succeed: up 35%





New Short Stories:-
If Monsters Lurk; If (1600)
EverTime, Just Left of 1974 (1400)
The Persistence of Ugly (200)
Sky Painted Metal Grey (The Thunderous Descent of Michael Skyworth) (2200)
Lost Shoes (900)

Plus 16,400 words of The Ghosts of Folding Time.

Things found lurking in the pages of the above: Houdini, Sand Monsters, Other Worlds, Crappy Motels, Towers, Tricksters, Messerschmitt Bombers, 1970s lampshade, zeppelins, a butt waggling peasant, diagrams drawn in pencil and chalk.

Current WIPs: The Ghosts of Folding Time (my YA) and an untitled short story about grandfather clocks, butterflies and lonely children.

Last line of January 2011: "By death," Robbie said.*


*Note to self: make sure the last line of February is far more interesting 

7 Comments on This was the month that..., last added: 2/1/2011
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12. Calendario 2011

5 Comments on Calendario 2011, last added: 12/13/2010
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13. Gangsta Librarians


I love train stations. That may seem weird since stations are so much like waiting rooms. It could be that I used to watch movies from the 1940's all the time (I still think that was the best decade for films) and everything important changed at a train station. People were always going off to war in Europe or waving them home from somewhere amazing while standing on train platforms.

Later on, I am taking a train from the Philly Amtrak station (see picture above) and I can't wait to take some pictures of the station. Here's another one:

Of course, my leaving the house has caused major questions from the kids because Mom only leaves to
a) work
or
b) get them food.

When I told them I was going to the ALA Conference in Boston, they wanted to know what our room would look like and if they got a day or maybe two off from school. "I'm not actually sure how much I like history," Emma reminded me, "and that's all like Pilgrim stuff, isn't it?"

They were stunned when I told them I would be back on Saturday night, and I was leaving and returning alone. These are kids who never even had a babysitter (I know, I know)

After the initial shock wore off (indicated by uncharacteristic silence), Philip asked me, "So are you like famous now or something?"

"No, it's just a conference."

He looked at me suspiciously. "You know what happened to Tupac when he became famous, right?"

I had that coming.

For years, it's been, "What? You ate a PORK HOT DOG THERE? Did you know they are associated with childhood leukemia?" "You forgot to wash your hands? WHAT? That's how the PLAGUE spread!"

You get the idea.

"Yes, I know what happened to Tupac. But these people are mostly librarians, people like that. They tend not to be violent."

"Maybe they are," he insisted. "They just cover it up."

"Gangsta librarians? The image just isn't forming, Philip."

They are coming with me all the way to the Amtrak station in Philly. Then I get to spend a day or so with a bunch of people who like books and reading and all that stuff as much as I do, probably even more. I'm betting I get over a hundred texts from my kids - and that will be within an hour of leaving the station.

But it's okay; I finally get to wave from a train - both ways.

6 Comments on Gangsta Librarians, last added: 1/16/2010
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14. Six Word Saturday


It's January.


My buns are frozen!



For more SSW, please click here ;)

33 Comments on Six Word Saturday, last added: 1/12/2010
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