A resource taken for granted.

Yesterday was my nephew's birthday, Mitchell (now 3 years old) and I had a lovely skype chat where I sung Happy Birthday to him and got to see him undo his present- a cash register and a microphone...two presents I would have loved to have as a child and also ones that I'm sure, due to their noise, will annoy the hell out of my sister and brother and law by the end of the week. The best part of seeing him relishing in the moment was how much joy and excitement he had. It was the same joy I feel when I know what I have written something and done it well.

But how do you get there? There's a variety of ways and one I have already shared with you, about describing settings and engaging the senses. It is very important because as simplisticly obvious as it is (and perhaps sounds despite trying to write it) when you write for the senses you engage every body elses. But today I want to talk about a different type of writing...journalling.

It's no surprise that I have mentioned it before & that it appears again. In modern day films its brought up by the typical scene of main actor meets counsellor who then fills them in on the fabulous notion of writing down how they feel. In real life, as many of you have probably read it allows you to have sanity in your week and is just as important as calm breathing excercises or that weekly session of yoga where drooling during meditation is definitely acceptable. Though there is another gem about journalling.

Journalling allows you to document progress, where you have come from and where you have been. That's important if you feel like nothing is changing (yet we all know it is, perhaps rather oblivious to us). It also enables us to look closely at individual situations that we have encountered and use our journal as a kind of resource for our writing. One less interview for your next book perhaps. But there's still more! (There's intertextuality from an advertisement if you've ever heard it!) Journalling is raw, pure emotion, so it's a great place to search for words that can then become dialogue.

So I encourage you...journal. I have all of mine from when I was 12 years old. It's so amusing to look back on how much I have changed..but even those journals over shorter periods of time make you really reflect on yourself in a better light. I think we owe that to ourselves.

Until next time..I hope you enjoy journalling, please do check out AWR's Facebook page which has just been launched. Little progress..bit its still something worth journalling about! Hope your Wednesday feels 'humpless'.

Ciao, Jules :) 

The latest...Tattoos & the like

Recently I have been thinking about a tattoo, its a cross between a treble clef and a cross, it is designed with the idea in mind that people may look at it and think that it is generic but to me it is more symbolic of the peace I experience when I sing & when I have faith. The thing is I have been toying with the idea in my mind that I should or shouldn't get it because why do I need a permanent reminder of what I already know to be real to me?

When I get stressed music comes out, I sing like Tina Turner at a football grand final and my mind is all clear to me. Singing is fun & easy, when I get it wrong I start again. Its the same with learning to play my guitar; stuff up, no matter, I write the string numbers on my fingers and I continue going until I have nice lines forming as reminders of my hardwork. I'm hoping just like this blogging progress will excite me & I will have evident reminders of work that has been achieved. That way when I look back I know those stressful times figuring things out on my journey to 'learning curve' was well and truly worth it. I know I'll get there. I hope so far though that you notice the few changes that have been made (along with some greatly appreciated help from Bettina and some other fabulous bloggers at Aussie Blogs to Love) & I look forward to etching in a beautiful page over time as I learn the blogging world more...in the meantime I fear my  neighbours are going to experience the wrath of Jules in concert just a few more times! :)

The all inspiring beer!

Hello All! Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

This Inspiration Station today is short & sweet. It's about settings. Some people I have spoken to struggle to describe settings. The best thing I find is to think about our SENSES when describing settings. If you write to your senses, you will awaken the audience from the get go. So take yourself to a place, get something to eat/drink and think:
-What does it look like? What adjectives can I use to describe? Can I up it a little to use some figurative language like metaphors and similes?
-What noises can I hear? Listen for all of them; people, nature- birds, wind, rain drops.
-How does my beverage or food taste?
-What is its texture like in my mouth? How does it make me feel?
-How does the whole place make you feel?

After a while it gets quite simple, quick and easy to do. Don't worry if it takes time, its really quite relaxing just soaking up time enjoying the quiet and pondering life for a bit. Here's one I did on a Friday afternoon at a pub.





"Beer- delicious after a hot day in the sun. Thirst immediately quenched. Cool hits the back of my throat. Meanwhile the breeze sends my hair flying, drops temperature, flickers clothing on my body for moments at a time. Birds nearby are chirping more delicately than the aged drinkers cackle. The refreshing quench of liquid gold leaves no question of why you'd have more. Folded umbrellas sway in the returning breeze as the grass fronds dance between the hip hopped tiles leading to a quiet blue table- desolate."

Now here is an approximate image of what I was looking at whilst I was writing this little piece (I forgot to take my own because I was enjoying the quiet too much!)

Please note images are courtesy of Google images.

Signposts

Ever liked a page on Facebook for its great little signposts; images that contain great little quotes or bits of advice? I definitely have done this. One of my personal favourites that I feel is particularly uplifting (and fantastically also Australian) is Healing with Art . However recently I have been quite confronted with negative message after negative message and they usually contain explicit language.

For starters I think explicit language is not necessary for the production of any good literature including film, it simply does not add to the story line. Although I concede occasionally it can at times be used to portray a character in a particular light, however I still believe good writers can avoid the use of profanity to portray characters.

Now, back to these 'signposts' as such. They are indeed very popular, Australia's edition of Cleo recently did an article on the addiction to these and I have got to admit I love looking at some of them on Pinterest. But what about these ones (expletives have been removed)...

 

So the reason why these posts disturb me is because I have to wonder, what is the purpose of them? They are in no way helpful- they don't promote maturity, positivity or self discipline. They focus on the fact that other people are selfish and maintain our own selfishness. Why so violent? Why always swearing?

Why are we promoting that our problems should be kept quiet and that the problem is other people not our inability to want to talk? Too see help and to deal with things in a mature manner. And sadly I refer to adults as well, its not just teenagers raging up social networking sites.

Social media is a very powerful medium of communication and I fear that the younger generation or those who do not look at pieces of writing with an open mind and make judgements themselves based on balanced ideas of life and situations will acquire attitudes that promote negative behaviour towards one another. No one ever said that anger ever made the world go round.

So today I intend to share some positive signposts as a way of getting rid of this rubbish, if you feel the same perhaps we can get our words out doing some good in the community!

...Agree/disagree with me, tell me what you think!

Under Construction...

Hello Everyone! I am currently fixing the design of this page to make it more reader friendly. Please excuse any mistakes, I'm embracing a learning curve! Cheers

Jules

Road blocks

 

Lately I have been missing travel and experiencing new things and knowing that at least for a while I cannot go anywhere (because work hours have been cut and that dints my future travel plans momentarily) I have found myself in a rut. So I did what any Gen Y person would do and headed to the Internet for answers. Wow there is a myriad of information you can get your hands on. If I went with the first few pages on how my ‘rut’ feels at the moment I would come away with the idea that I am in fact clinically depressed. Enough to make you go mental right? Looking at all the websites I have gathered a far better understanding now as to why doctors get so concerned with their patients self-diagnosing conditions from their home offices. Who would have thought when the Internet became so much of my everyday life that it would create a paradigm shift from ‘worldwide wealth of knowledge’ to ‘average person’s bible to masterdom?’ Either way I am glad I was lucky enough to be blessed with the ability to decipher real science and the home kitchen lab.

When I got down to the bottom of it all I understood the very thing that really I knew in the first place- I miss travel, I miss my overseas friends and I  miss the adventure my life used to have.

 As I went through the tips to get out of the travel rut I read about how it’s important to plan for your next trip seriously- month by month. What needs to be paid for next, how much money you need etc and have celebrations along the way of your achievement so you don’t feel bound in chains by your next grand adventure. I knew this, I’d done it before. But I found myself thinking, ‘but I’m never going to get there’. For some reason I decided (I never usually do) to proceed to the comments, it is here where I met Anna from New York City. She appears to be a 50 something lady (possibly older) with 2 grandchildren, in an unhappy relationship where her boyfriend doesn’t allow her to see her grandchildren so she has to do it on the sly all the time. Some of her comments I could understand, but then she just seemed to be roadblocking the whole entire way. Once I read it everything became ridiculously clear to me. I like Roadblocks. Roadblocks are stupidly enjoyed by me somehow, on a small level. You see yes I’m currently stuck living in a town I’m not terribly fond of, living with my parents (since my last trip left me broke), had my work hours cut, been sick, struggled to write and scarcely have much to do because it’s such a small town. But here’s the good...I pay little to no board for staying with the olds, I get to house sit regularly, I love love love my workplace, I have some great friends, I’m singing in public which is an accomplishment I never thought possible albeit karaoke for the moment and I have formed up some good relationships with people I grew up with here, just years later. Things are in fact good. But when I get down that nothing’s happening I really feel it, what’s worse is seeing the pictures of other peoples’ adventures overseas while I’m still sitting with the olds waiting for the cash flow train to fill up and my life to take off on its next journey. But whether I like it or not, I’m living here and I must make the most of what I have now. Since we all get stuck in ruts, and some not just travel but writing and otherwise, I created my own little list to help you if you ever feel like you’ve hit a ‘rut’ & shared with you some of my favourite images from photographers on Pinterest. Do enjoy!  

RUT BREAKING TIPS..

-Do something you would consider to be BRAVE..go to a bar on your own for dinner/drinks, sing in front of heaps of people, go to an event where you don't know anyone, buy an outfit that is a completely different style for you.
-Get out of the place that reminds you of why you feel 'stuck' the most- even if its 15minutes drive to a different coffee shop- difference is bliss
-Look at beautiful artwork & photography- wierd and wonderful pieces. No local gallery or don't want to spend money- take your computer/iPad/phone to a wi-fi zone chill out & absorb what's on the net.
-Ditch any unhappy music- this includes songs with happy beats but sad lyrics. Only happy ones, if you have to go back a few decades- do it. MJ, Creedence, Pointer Sisters- there's gotta be something there.
-Have a shower, get dressed to the nines (dude or gal) and enjoy looking fab. 'He looks terrible in that over dress Boss suit, said no one ever.'
-Clean out anyone/anything that leads back to your rut. Surround yourself with people who ooze being who they are and not caring
-In a rut about money? Get social networking organise a picnic or a fitness meet that requires little to no funds & get those loyalty cards, the more you have the merrier you'll be when cash really gets low...freebie coffees here I come!

IMAGES TO MAKE YOU SMILE...

 

 

 

 

 

Kicking goals

Hello! Happy March people! This month brings on many new things. I'm starting a hardcore detox and that sadly begins with my coffees but thank goodness you can still have great teas in the comfort of your local cafe. After a few days of feeling blergh (I think its the still rainy weather!) I am back with a punch thinking about goals, writing, blogging, fitness and lifestyle goals. I've found myself so caught up in what's next that I've stopped thinking about enjoying now. Couple that with what 'should' I have done and its a recipe for overwhelmedness. This month I offer out no challenges but I am personally setting some goals about what will happen, setting in some little milestones that I can triumph on about the way. Plenty more to write but at the moment, my real work calls...bon voyage.

Thank you!

First & foremost today...Thank you very much for reading since this blogs conception in the end of January. I'm so pleased to have people coming on board from what is now 10 different nations, with over 720 views since the beginning. I get so much joy out of writing things with you. This morning I was totally gutted to find that a post I had written didn't post yesterday. I had written an epic post yesterday at my local Maccas (I know classy right?) to finish off the Love Challenge Month of February and to share my joy with you. I guess yesterday wasn't the time to be sharing that with you. So....today's the day! Again, thanks so much for reading I really appreciate it! Today I want to know about you...all I can see is statistics of my readers which is great but that tells me nothing about who you really are so....

What are your passions? Other than literature?
What & who do you love reading?
What are the best things about your nation & culture?

With people from American, UK, Trinidad, Russia, South Korea and many other places reading including Australia I would love to know what makes you tick. Plus let's face it, learning about each other is the most irefreshing thing we can ever do for ourselves, it takes us out of our own world. I love learning about others and their cultures and in my experience Australia has MUCH to learn from many other nations, despite how 'lucky' others think we are our country could always be better. I hope your Friday is fantastic, I thank you again for your support & I so look forward to getting to know more about you.

If you want to follow, just become a Google+ member and then click on the side panel that enables you to follow this blog! It is available in all smart phone/tablet applications as well as internet interfaces.

Ciao,

Jules! :)