Writing, Bookgrrl Style

What I love about Blogjune, or any other writing challenge, is that you are forced out of your comfort zone, flying by the seat of your pants in order to produce a post. You can plan out your posts, scheduling themes and memes in order to get you through the month. You can also be hit by inspiration brought upon by sheer panic to produce something. It’s usually a mixture of both for me.

Last week, I posted a blog post, about some unfinished business which had been years in the (crochet) crafting. It had been sitting in my draft folder, waiting for the moment I could hit publish.

This week I also wrote a quick post about my cat on my phone while travelling on a bus. Both were very well received .

There are some ideas  and posts which have to sit and slowly develop. You can add a bit here, tinker a bit there, and allow yourself to ponder about it. Then there are some which simply pour from the pen or from my fingertips. I remember writing a post about my frustrations with Florence when I was on holidays last year, and then when my grandfather passed away I wrote about my relationship with him.

So this is what gets me from a blank screen to hitting publish…

1. Prioritising- yes, I know there’s washing to be done, a floor to be vacuumed, because I am currently sitting in a house with stuff like this that has to be done. And I will pretty much use blogging as an excuse to get out of any housework . There were times when I was doing my Masters and I couldn’t see the top of the dining table for all the laundry and books and general household clutter. As long as dinners were cooked and clean clothes could be extracted from the huge pile on the table, I could get on with the business of study and writing. I was also able to be interrupted at any stage for cuddles and tickles.

2. Practising- my art teacher once told me to draw every day. Josh, The World’s Strongest Librarian also commits to writing every day. It may not necessarily be good, but it’s practise.

Do something. Do it every day. Focus on what’s in front of you, not how many days it’s going to take to get it all done. It all adds up.

Neil Gaiman has just released a new book and one site Book Riot has declared today to be Neil Gaiman Day- they collected a series of quotes he has said on books  and writing.

One of the quotes I loved was

“I learned to write by writing. I tended to do anything as long as it felt like an adventure, and to stop when it felt like work, which meant that life did not feel like work.”

3. Ponder- just the very act of thinking of an idea and wondering about the angle upon which to write about it can make for great mental gymnastics.

4. And above all be inspired by other People’s Posts. Read what other people write, and be inspired by their triumphs, share their tribulations, and marvel at how they can put one word after another.

Other bloggers have also offered great insights.

Con likes the tactile nature of a pen in her hand when writing difficulties are encountered. Seeing the ink flow onto the page can be very soothing.

For Alisa it is writing one word after another to form a sentence, then another, until a paragraph forms.

And for Abigail the very act of sitting down is the greatest challenge. Even if your initial output is not great, you need to start.

And now I have a cat to pat, kids to put to bed, and a husband whose birthday it is today. Happy birthday Mr BG

xxx

 

Video- youtube and screencasts #anz23mthings week 6

This is a catch-up post for last week’s theme of Video. I am thankful that there are regular breaks scheduled in the ANZ23mthings program to catch up when the whole work-life-study balance goes awry!

It has been great see the Library-related videos on Youtube, yet I usually prefer checking out Youtube on my desktop. So the challenge for me has been to use video related apps on my mobile.

The last time I accessed YouTube on a mobile device was to look at how to put my bike wheel back on my bike after having changed the tire. I had found a video from a bike shop which demonstrated it and I was able to view it and follow the visual instructions. I have also found YouTube great as a portable instruction guide for crochet stitches as well .

YouTube on the mobile is geared more toward browsing channels and subscriptions. You have to go into your account in order to access the upload facility.

Using Animoto on my mobile, I created a short video entitled Out And About. I was able to select the background music and images and to upload it to the site from my phone. The steps were quite simple and easy to follow, though it did not really allo for more complex procedures. I found I had to resort to the desktop, though, to add tags and describe the video, as well as to upload it to my Youtube channel.

While mobile is seen as a great way to consume internet content, there are still limitations to providing a fully interactive experience. Apps, while using a simple linear transaction (progressing 1,2,3,4…finish) may not necessarily allow for the full array of options as the desktop experience.

The other issue is bandwidth- a smartphone, unless it is accessing wifi, may be using a mobile network in which data costs are prodigiously expensive. Uploading a video via mobile can be time-consuming and use up data and power.

Invoking the emergency cat blog #blogjune

Tiger aka Mooch, enjoys nothing more than to find the most awkward places in which to kip.
The cat has slept in shopping bags,  on  CD shelves (after having swished a few of them onto the floor) and on the heating vents; in fact everywhere but her bed…

Ted’s sleepover

Miss BG is hosting a special visitor this weekend. Ted has come to stay and we get to write and draw about his visit in a book for school.

She dressed Ted in some pyjamas…

She took him to bed with her, much to the disappointment of the other ted in her life.

Ted accompanied us to the hairdresser and then later to the cafe.

Then Miss BG read Ted a story- a Maisy book!

Ted was a lovely guest and we hope to have him back again!

Review- Taking a Chance

Taking a Chance by Deborah Burrows, is an historical romance, cum murder mystery set in Perth in 1943.

Eleanor “Nell” Fitzgerald, a fashion reporter for a local newspaper, is dragged into a murder mystery by Johnny Horvath, an American war correspondent convalescing in wartime Perth. Johnny is convinced that Lena, a former lover, is innocent of murder  is determined to find the truth. Despite being engaged, Nell, can’t help but be attracted to the dashing journalist, as she joins forces with him to rescue lost girls, uncover a prostitution ring, and find the real murderer.

Nell is essentially a good girl, feisty, yet vulnerable and the central romance is quite tame in comparison to what else in happening in the book, with the novel depicting the seedier side of wartime,  of girls running away from home, romances and illicit liaisons with soldiers.

The book has been extensively researched to get the feel of life in World War Two, but the research doesn’t get in the way of the narrative. It’s a pleasant read, and can be enjoyed for the setting (Perth doesn’t seem to be the setting of popular books, more’s the pity), the mystery and for the bubbling romantic tensions between Nell and Johnny.

Bookgrrl’s Tea Party

If you ever come over for a cup of tea or coffee, chances are you may find yourself drinking from one of these…

Some of these have been gifted to me by friends, inlaws and my mum. I have bought others from antiques shops, or op shops or eBay. When I took them out, I discovered I had inadvertently created a collection .

Some of these are used quite regularly (the little ones are great for an espresso from my stovetop coffee pot), and others I rediscovered when I was doing a quick cleanout of my kitchen cupboards on a Sunday morning ( as you do…).

Do you have a collection you have created inadvertently?

p.s. Baked goods may also be on offer with said drinking…

My first library job

I have blogged about how I became a librarian after years of wanting to be anything but a librarian a long time ago, but I don’t think I have written about my first library job in detail. So following in the great tradition of a  meme..

I answered a job ad in The Age newspaper, advertising for casual and full time positions at the City of Monash. I was sending resumes and letters everywhere after having graduated a couple of months earlier and wondering how long I was going to stay at Myer.

I remember driving out to Glen Waverley in the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, mentally rehearsing the words I would say in the interview, but I honestly did not have a clue as to the types of questions they would ask. I knew there were a range of positions available, both permanent full time, temporary and casual librarians and library officers, and that was about it. I knew more about academic libraries, having done my practicum at a uni library, and it had been ages since I had stepped into a public library.

I remember being asked if I was available for a casual position. I was completely honest and guilelessly told the interview panel that having to relocate from Geelong to Melbourne would mean I would be looking for a full time job (what was I thinking???). My chutzpah got me a job as a maternity leave replacement, full time, working at the Glen Waverley branch at Monash Public Library. as an adult librarian.

I did reference desk shifts, helped maintain a clippings drawer, shelf-read, was involved with book selection and weeding. The librarians had a strong focus on collection development  and management rather than managing staff. I was really lucky in working with librarians who were more experienced and library officers who took me under their wing.

I learned a lot on the job- my Dewey was drummed into me, my ability to weed and discard books and to select books for the collection.  I also found myself drawing upon customer service skills learned from over 6 Christmases at Myer- my manager later telling me it was what helped me get the job!

Within a year I had moved to another branch and was involved in the outreach program which included book selection for housebound residents. My knowledge of fiction was sorely tested and I embarked on another steep learning curve!

After that first year I had another interview and was confirmed as a permanent staff member-yay! I stayed at Monash for five years, managing Reference, Adult and Local History collections, teaching internet classes to adults, organising events and book talks and somehow avoiding preschool story time.

Lessons learned

1. Draw upon ALL your skills- I had no library experience, but years of asking people what they wanted and helping them find it (and buy it). It also helped with dispute management and managing unruly queues for the internet.

2. Ask questions if you don’t know something. As a newbie you can.

3. If you make a suggestion about something being done, chances are you will the one who ends up doing it.

4. Volunteer to do stuff- you learn something along the way.

5. If someone knocks at the back door, open it. You never know who you might meet- maybe even your future husband .