Friday, October 31

Great Ideas

In a bid to achieve my novel I have been thinking of ways in which I can stimulate a stream of words from my sometimes stifled brain. Here is what I have so far
  1. Pick a word that will be a theme for your writing session. Find 7 synonyms for the word. Write a few sentances or even a paragraph and use each word in a different yet related context.

  2. Concentrate on details such as
  • sounds and noise
  • sights
  • feelings/emotions
  • colours and textures
  • touch
  • smells and tastes
  • experiences - eg smoke going up her nose as she inhales another drag of her nicotine filled death stick or the gentle breeze brushing through and shifting papers about on the table. An envelope slowly flutters to the ground
Ok so now that I have rewritten it, it does not seem as much as when I scribbled it down earlier, but at least it is a start I guess!

Prior Preparation

As of midnight tonight my life will change for ever (well at least for the next month anyway). I have decided to take on the NaNoWrMo challenge. Which basically means I plan to write at least 50,000 in the space of 30 days. Not just any 50,000 words either, they must string together and form a novel.

Since discovering this wonderful challenge a little over two weeks ago I have been able to think of nothing else. What I haven't been able to do though is decide exactly what type of novel I will write. Naturally the possibilities are endless.

These are my possibilities so far
  1. Teenage romance - I figure this would be fairly easy as I had plenty of romance as a teenager to draw from
  2. A fictional recount of my father's life - he has after all done some pretty cool things and since he was born in 1929 there is again plenty to draw from. Plus it would be nice to have a record of it all. Would certainly need to do some more research though
  3. A daughter dealing with her father's death - this would be based on my imagination though as thankfully my dad is still alive (though quite frankly I do expect him to die any day but then that has been a constant thought for many years and it still hasn't happened)
  4. Mother/Daughter relationship - probably not going to be all that positive, which means my mother would probably get upset if she ever read it.
  5. Five or six random characters and the lives they lead. Somehow they would all interact with each other, with it all coming together in the end. I particularly like this idea as if I am looking like being short on words I can just add another couple of characters
  6. Junior fantasy based fiction. On the upside I would only need very easy language on the downside would also need a very active imagination
So there you have it, less than six hours to kick off and I am still sitting here wondering what it is I will choose to write about. Perhaps some mindless PackRat will help me find the answer!

Tuesday, October 21

The Great Things About Lists

Lists are great! They keep you organised, help you to stay on task and just generally maintain two hands firmly on the ball of life. Lists also have a very personal side to them and you are either a list person or not.

My mother was and to some extent still is a very big list person. While she may not write lists on a regular basis if there is a party to plan or spring cleaning to be done a list is sure to be made. Before I go on any further I must say that I love my mother dearly and would not wish for another, however she has never really been a person I have aspired to be like. The reasons of which I will save for another post (or perhaps even a book). As a result of this I have generally avoided making too many list for fear of someone making the comparison.

As I get older I have realised that lists actually need to be an integral part of my life. Without an adequate supply of lists I have found my self somewhat lost and just floating the the abyss that is my life. While it is hard to admit I think that I am actually the type of person that needs to have a list about all my lists.

So here it is a list of all the lists I need to have in my life
  1. Chores and housework (for myself and family memebers)
  2. Articles that I need to write
  3. Dreams, hopes and ambitions that I have
  4. Habits I wish to change
  5. Monthly, weekly and daily achievements
  6. Books I hope to read
  7. Miscellaneous things that don't fit anywhere else
I know it is not the longest list in the world but I am a big believer in being able to tick everything off. Also the danger with a long list is that it may be overwhelming and intimidating.

So what has brought about my acceptance of my need to have a list? Have a look here.

Monday, October 20

Dreams, hopes, plans and ambitions

As you have probably noticed there has not been much success in my bid to increase the frequency of my writing. I guess you could say there has been a regular activity, but for what I have put out once a week is not really much of an achievement. I feel this is fairly indicative of my life. I have an innate ability to only do what is required and not an iota more.

The irony of this all is that one of my dream career paths it to be a motivational speaker.

I was recently asked if I had my dreams written out. I was quite taken by surprise by it actually, especially when I realised that I did not have my dreams written out. In fact I am not even really sure I could verbally list my current dreams.

As it is not wise to float through life without dreams, ambitions and the like I have complied a few to get me going. Perhaps this is just the motivation that I need!

My dreams, hopes, plans and ambitions
  1. Be the best mother I can and raise beautiful children
  2. Become an accomplished writer
  3. Be an inspiration to others
  4. Maintain an orderly and functioning household
Ok so that is all I have for now but at least it is a start.
You see all I really want out of life is to live a happy life full of love and laughter. I feel blessed to be able to say that I feel I have that now.
Sure life is not perfect and there is the odd occasion when my children drive me to distraction but each and everyday I spend more time laughing and enjoying life than not.

It's funny, looking back to my childhood and teenage years I recall a sense of expectation for my life. Not necessairily from myself but certainly from many around me (parents, teachers, etc). It is fair to say that after the age of 18 I failed to reach any of them!

By all accounts I guess you could say that I was a bit of a goody goody. I got good grades (not great but good) I generally made good choices and good friends so I was never in much trouble (mind you the debating team has more going for it than most know about). Life was just good. (much like now really)

However when I left school went to uni I got a bit lost. There were times when life was good, on occassion it was even great. There were also some really low moments that if I could change I would. If I could go back in time and pin point the precise decision that I could change I would. Mind you I hold no regrets and believe that everything happens for a specific reason so perhaps if the choice to change the past really exisited I would probably leave it like it is. After all it is the past that has made the present all that it is.

But I have digressed. Which makes me think now is a good time to end this post.

Sunday, October 19

Followers Widget


I would just like to draw your attention over to the right of screen to my lovely new followers widget. This great little gadget keeps you updated on all my latest and greatest entries. With just a click of a button you'll always be able to easily find out what my rambles are.

I am very excited to announce that I already have one follower. So a big howdy hi to Bonnie.

The other great thing about being a follower is that it provides fellow bloggers a bit of a free plug so even if you don't want to follow me as such think of it as a great way to get your face seen by more people.

It's been a while since I have had a decent photo to post, hence the noticeable absence of them of late. Thankfully however I have come across one for today.

This is stunning bird was shot in a local park.

Daily Dilemmas

So I would like to introduce a new segment to my Rambles called Daily Dilemmas. The inspiration for this ingenious idea came to me earlier as I was taking out the rubbish. Which I must say is a common time for my brain to do some serious thinking.

Today has been a fairly active day in our household. Mind you it is not a minute to soon. To say I have been lazy of late is somewhat of an understatement. To help paint the picture for you, when I said taking out the rubbish what I actually meant was lugging a total of three medium sized rubbish bags and on heavily overloaded milk crate of trash and recyclables from my house to the other side of the complex to the waste disposal area.

Anyways here is my dilemma for today.

When taking out the rubbish should you

  1. Let it all pile up and make one trip.
  2. Regularly make the journey with smaller piles
Both have their pros and cons.
For example with option one the muscle strength needed to carry out the heavy load is a great workout, however should I drop the load there is a lot to pick up.
With option two and the smaller loads I will be walking a greater distance which in it's own right is a great form of exercise.

Oh decisions, decisions! Can you see my dilemma?

Please feel free to make a suggestion as to which I should choose for the future. What would you do?

Saturday, October 18

A New Friend

I am sure you have all seen the email circulating that goes on about friends for a day, friends for a reason, friends for a season, and all that kind of stuff. Of course you have probably never received it from me and there are a number of reasons for that
  1. Chances are you I don't have your email as we probably haven't had the chance to meet yet
  2. Even if you are one of the few people in the world who actually know me and take the time to read this you know that I am just not one of those lovey dovey kinda gals who sends out junk like that on a regular basis (I must admit that on the odd occasion I have been caught at a weak moment and found myself clicking reply and thanking the kind person who sent it too me)
As a regular reader of my rambles you would be aware that friendship is something that I enter with great trepidation. People have a tendency to drift in and out of my life. I have come to accept that people, friends rather, have a specific purpose to serve. Just as the email states, for some this purpose may last a life time, for others only a season or perhaps even a few years. It all just depends on the purpose they are there to serve.

Sometimes the purpose is for emotional support and guidance. Sometimes it is to inspire and create a better you. Sometimes it is a shoulder to cry and and arms to hug. And sometimes it is just to make you see the world a different way.

Thursday, October 16

I am EXCITED!!!

Oh boy! Oh boy! Oh boy! I am excited. The excitement within me is building up much like the big black clouds that are the wet season.

While chatting with a new friend last night I discovered National Novel Writing Month Basically a group of like minded folk have gotten together and set themselves the challenge of writing a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. Always being one that is up for a challenge (not really) I have signed myself up.

Roll on November 1!

So in the meantime I should practice getting my knuckles to the grindstone! I am figuring the only way this will be a success is if I get myself organised. I have been rather lax in my list department so that is the first of many changes I am going to make.

Tuesday, October 7

Goodbye Mrs Nextdoor

Today I said good bye to my childhood neighbour. Even though I have not seen her for many years I felt it only fitting to attend. After all many of my early memories include Mrs Nextdoor.

Things were different back then. Children were respectful and all adults were referred to as Mr and Mrs. As youngsters we had trouble remembering our neighbour's surname so they were Mr & Mrs Nextdoor. A term which over the years grew great endearment.

Mr Nextdoor died many years ago. Time is not always my friend and the years seem to blur so I can not place an exact number on them but it would be over a decade. He fought a brave battle with the dreaded cancer. For some reason the final time I saw him is one of my most vivid memories.

After his death, Mrs Nextdoor moved with her son Steve, to somewhere smaller. I am not sure why Steve never moved out of home. I remember being facinated by him as a child. Still to this day I have no idea how old he is, only that he is much older than I. My memory of him bears an uncanny resemblence to Jesus. Seeing him today shows that my memory is in tact.

Though he no longer has the beard his whole demeanour and presence still makes me think of an iconic Christ. The tall slender body, long face and flowing hair. While his stature may appear frail there is also an overwhelming sense of strength.

While my mum was never the type to just 'let us hang out at the neighbours', she could not stop my brother and I from climbing the big old wattle so we could spy at them coming home. Or hide behind the cars and whistle, trying not to giggle as they searched for the latest hiding spot.

The Nextdoors were also guaranteed invites to any party that we had. My sister, Mrs Nextdoor and I all shared the same birthday. It just seemed to make the celebration more special.

It is strange that for nearly 15 years these people lived nextdoor to us, we were not by any means strangers to one another. However after they moved we never saw them again. Well that is not completely true. We would occasionally bump into one another at the local super market. Nothing more than idle chit chat and a smile though was ever exchanged.

I would love to write more but there is a storm here fast approaching and given the weak power of late I daren't risk a power failure!