Ah. A month after my last post and I have failed miserably at all of my easy resolutions.
I should have learnt. Never publicly announce any amount of determination. It will just bite me in the arse. Too late now I suppose.

On the upside, we can say I have achieved my goals in a very roundabout way. I’ve been hired on as a Creative Writer. Though writing for work was never one of my New Year’s goals, I’ll claim it so I can appear less like an epic failure.

I’ve missed out on the publishing world this last month as well. Not sure why or how I managed to take a hiatus from the internet and my usual haunts. Normally it would be a great challenge for me. Finally logged into twitter for more than 10 seconds and was shocked to find I didn’t have a clue what anyone was talking about. I am ashamed.

I could make up for it all by having something astonishing and genius to say today. But I don’t.

In an effort to reintegrate myself into the human world I’m looking for blogs to follow. Any suggestions would be more than welcome. If they feature creativity, sarcasm, publishing or the random posts of a genius mind I’m sure I’ll enjoy.

See you soon. (Hopefully before another month has passed)

The New Year is upon us and I find myself lost in the usual reflections of the past and future. 2009 was a good year for me. I caught my first fish, after far too many years of fishing. I found a direction in my life and determined with utmost confidence that which I plan to devote my life to. The man I love showed up at the church and unbelievably stuck around to marry me. I moved into a house and out of the burnt, flooded, bug infested apartment I was living in. Can I complain? No, not so much.

I have never been much for New Years Resolutions. I know myself far too well to think that a sudden surge of determination to lose 15 lbs or do the dishes right after dinner everyday is ever going to last more than a week into the New Year. In keeping with that knowledge I have decided on something that is much more easily accomplished. Two goals, both of which I can easily succeed in.

The first involves writing. Please see the following link from Inkygirl (@inkyelbows). She has posted a challenge which I fully intend to succeed in.
http://bit.ly/write500

The goal is simply writing. Everyday. I am going to start with the 500 words a day, because more than anything, I tend to get distracted by the daily rigors of life. 500 words is something I can scribble down in a short period of time and contains little of the stress of NaNoWriMo. NaNo was great for me, for the first time I found myself writing daily, pushing myself to greater heights. With beautiful success.
I completed it, much to my surprise. Of course the story won’t be heading off to an agent anytime soon but I can at least tell myself “I did it!” and feel proud.
I have missed that drive this last month. I don’t miss the sleepless nights, but I miss seeing my story forming and growing with great speed.

So this is what I am going to do. My personal goal for 2010, inspired by none other than Inkygirl.

I am going to forget about the state that the Publishing Industry is in. I’m going to stop worrying that there is no place for me in the evolving writing world. I am going to improve my writing and work on the masterpiece that will wow the world. I shall settle for nothing less of course, how can I when it is my life’s one great ambition?

I am ready. I am prepared. I have a new netbook and a pen with an “until you are cold in your grave” warranty.

[tangent: You know the phrase “just rolled off the tip of my tongue”? Well let me tell you something, having words roll off the tip of a pen is so much more satisfying than that. It is a possibility, I promise. With my new, beautiful, fountain pen, they do exactly that. Once upon a time I would get cramps in my fingers from my habit of pressing down far too hard on the paper. No more. I am in love. Best Christmas present ever. /tangent]

Thus we move on to my second goal. It too is a simple one. Unpack.

And that is all.

When I begin, and succeed with the writing, I will let the world know by posting the badge from Inkygirl on this blog. Thereby showing my devotion to the masses. If you do not see it appear after the New Year, feel free to throw rotten tomatoes.

Last but not least, Have yourself a Happy New Year!

Despite my blatant desire to be a published author, I, like many others, work a full-time day job. My current job has landed me in the printing industry. A place I never went to school for nor expected myself to be. I work with numerous amount of materials in a day and control several rather large pieces of machinery with my plethora of computers. This job has opened my eyes to a great many things, but the one that has stood out the most, is colour.

Colour is something ordinary. We see colours every day, in everything we do. Most people have a favorite colour – or two, and know which colours best suit them. But how many people really sit back and look and that colour?

I challenge you, don’t take it for granted today. Sit back and let your eyes focus on the most vibrant colour you see. Now, instead of passing it by, look a little deeper. Is it a solid colour? Are you sure? Most colours have subtle variations within, can you see them? Find an example of your favorite colour, remind yourself why you like it. What is so special about it?

Pay attention to colours as you are walking down the street. When they are all you focus on, suddenly the world becomes a brand new place.

Don’t be afraid to use colour as an inspiration, our world is full of it, and we should harness it and use it as we see fit. It is always there, but sometimes it’s so easy to get wrapped up in life we forget about the world we live in.

Enjoy your colourful world. I know I will.

With the Christmas Season winding down and New Years rushing in, the ideal break from the hazards of life is a few hours in a dark movie theater.

Sherlock Holmes made a brilliant impression on me last night as one of the first movies in an age (since D9 in fact) that I found riveting. Whether the chemistry between Law and Downing, or the twists on such a famous tale, it came together in a story that keeps your eyes glued to the screen. You don’t get up to grab some popcorn during this movie, and make sure the bladder is empty before it begins. You don’t know what you’ll miss if you leave for even a moment.

I was devastated when this movie finished, for no reason other than I did not want such an enjoyable experience to end.

Cast: Chosen to perfection
Sequels: I certainly hope so.
Overall Rating: * * * * * [5 Stars]

If there is anything I know a great deal about, it is the feeling of being out of your depth.
Out Of Your Depth – The implacable knowledge that you do not have the experience or requirements necessary to succeed in the task before you.

Every day brings a new awareness of how unqualified I am for my very existence. The very act of day to day living requires an expertise that I can only dream of having. Nevertheless, I flounder on. Hoping that some sudden discovery will place solid ground beneath my feet. The tentacled sea monsters beneath me would be devastated to lose their meal, but I find that hope, and the dreadful thought of being eaten, just enough to keep me afloat.
Just in case you were unsure, this is all very metaphorical – I am completely unable to swim.

So what do you do? The monsters are lurking, the depths are dark, and you’re not sure where to go.

The first thing to keep in mind is keep swimming. You falter for one moment and it is so much harder to start again.
Second. You need to bullshit. Tell yourself you have a massive magical harpoon that will take the monsters out with one little tap. You don’t, but that’s ok.
If you tell yourself that you can do it often enough, eventually you will start to believe it. The crazy thing about believing is eventually, if you believe hard enough, and have enough determination, you can change your reality. (Sounds a little iffy I know, but the fact that I’m living is proof enough)

When faced with an insurmountable task always remember, you must do something. You can turn and walk (or swim) away from it, hoping it will just disappear into the vestiges of your past. Or you can face it, and tackle it with every iota of insignificant genius that you possess.

The tackling part is scary, you might not know anything about the problem you need to deal with. Despite that, the one great thing about human beings is that we are always able to learn. You can find someone who knows the answer, or research it, or pull it out of thin air if that is your wish. After a time of struggling forward and cramming your brain with more information than it can hold, you may wonder if you are in fact succeeding in anything.

You’re still seeing the lurking monsters in the depths to be sure. But I can promise, if you look behind, you’ll realize just how many of them you have already managed to overcome.

Perhaps there will always be monsters, that is the nature of life after all. But if you face each one with the same determination as the last, it becomes a little easier each time. Just a little, but it’s enough.

Queries: When you find yourself Out of Your Depth, what is your reaction? What do you do? What have you learnt from such experiences?

When I first started delving into the wide world of writers and publishing I was intimidated rather quickly. There’s a lot more to publishing than I expected, I had been naive. I hadn’t realized that even once your book has been picked up, there is still a multitude of work to be done. I didn’t realize just how many writers there are trying to fulfill their fantastical dreams.
I got over it eventually, telling myself that I would simply have to be brilliant, and if I were, then I would have nothing to worry about. I would let my writing speak for itself.
And then I made the huge giant mistake of delving deeper. Perpetually reading articles about what you should, can’t, better not, and must always do when it comes to writing. It made me realize just how little I really knew about the art. Sure the words come flowing off my furiously tapping fingertips, but they don’t really care about the rules. How am I, this uneducated little girl, ever going to make it in this big wide world?

I floundered for a little while, but I have to admit, I’m not particularly fond of the sensation. I came to a few conclusions.

First of all – Yes. There are multitudes of writers out there who are better than me. But, none of them are me. None of them have my particular sound, my methods.
Second – (don’t you just love point form?) I may not be amazing, and my grammar might bite the big one, but I can get better. I can learn, I can adapt, and I know I will.
Third – As long as I love it, why should I give it up? Perhaps I won’t be able to publish my first book, or my fifth, but as long as writing still gives me a thrill, I’m going to continue. It’s my passion. Mine. No one can take it away, and there is only one person who can ruin my enjoyment of it. Me.
Fourth – [Square brackets are amazing.] I love them. Ever since I read a blog post about them a few months ago (my fuzzy little brain cannot remember who by, so someone should remind me if they know) about how they can be used as markers for something you need to go back and write later or where you need to research. My manuscripts are now littered by things like
[Research how long a horse can survive without food and water]
[This is boring. Fix it. If you don’t the monster that lives in the jar, under the stairs, in the pantry, in the house next door… ]
[Do you honestly think a real human being would say something this ridiculous? No. I didn’t think so.]

For me, they stand out just enough that I notice them and go back and fix whatever the issue is without really distracting me. They’re easy to search for when I’m on an editing spree because I don’t use square brackets in my actual writing. Every time the search pops up with one, I know it’s something I need to work on. They are my friends. It’s a simple thing, but one I hadn’t thought of, and I’m glad I have discovered them. As with this little thing, I will continue to grow and adapt.

So the point of this post is thus – Writing is an art. There will always be someone who is better than you, but you write in your own unique style. As long as you cultivate it, don’t give in to the pressure of ‘trying to make it big’, and just keep writing. Then nothing can get you down.
There is no such place as – “I want to be a writer.” You either are. Or you aren’t. Simple as that.

It is a lesson that has cheered me up remarkably, and one that I shall endeavor never to forget.

It wouldn’t surprise me if after reading this people would consider me old fashioned. I don’t like the idea of e-books, the mere thought that they might phase out the ink and paper variety at some indefinite time in the future causes my heart to stutter and consider stopping altogether.
I can’t say that all things are bad about e-books, surely they provide an ease of access that the modern world is all for. Certainly for research materials and non-fiction topics I can see their appeal. However. The idea of reading a novel, not on paper, seems about as absurd as attempting to swim in 3.2 inches of water. Ridiculous.

I have been reading books since I was three years of age, and the only thing that has ever gotten in my way of continuing to do so on a near perpetual basis is simply the rigors of life. I am certain that I will continue to enjoy curling up in a comfortable chair, with a good old fashioned book, even when we have three moon bases and a spa on Mars.

I am aware that my opinion is unfortunately not the only one that matters, but I am undeniably curious as to how many people agree with me. Or simply think that I have lost my mind and must journey back to the stone age, where I have obviously come from, as soon as possible.

If you are from Canada you have probably heard about the incident that just occurred in Edmonton at the WCB building (That is Workers Compensation Board for anyone who is wondering). I am speaking of course of the hostage situation where a man held eight workers hostage and demanded to speak with his caseworker.
If you are unfamiliar with the situation you can see a news clip about the incident here:

Many people are in an uproar that such a thing would happen to us fair-minded and decent Canadians. Few stop to think about the motives behind this act.

I am not suggesting that I condone such a thing of course, any hostage situation is a terrifying ordeal, and this world would be much better off without them. It is shocking and unfortunate that this happened, but not particularly surprising. Sadly, the WCB has a track record for not giving the greatest attention to cases that are brought before them.
If you are not familiar with the WCB, it is an organization that is supposed to help those who are injured in the workplace by providing them with compensation and helping them to maintain as normal a life as possible. Whether they spend one month off due to injury or are never able to work again.

As a result of their inattention and uncaring stance many people who deserve and need help from WCB are denied. The desperation that springs forth when your life is falling apart is terrible enough. Imagine how it would compound when you discover the organization you believed would help you in fact has turned their back on you. That could definitely lead to such a reckless and dangerous act as this hostage situation. The man who did this felt like he had no other option. Yes, perhaps he is now going to prison, which sounds terrible to some. But at the very least, there he will have three full meals a day and a roof over his head.

You may be wondering why I choose to burden you with this information because you never asked for it and most of you probably never thought about it one way or the other before.

I’m sending this out for my sister. She was injured at work in 2007, an unfortunate accident that could have happened to anyone. I’m not going to go into all the details but I will say that because of it she is no longer able to work, suffered a great deterioration in quality of life and has had to endure more pain than anyone should. She has recently been denied compensation from WCB despite her appeals and obvious need of assistance. Anyone with less strength than her would have given up a long time ago.
She needs help, and WCB should be standing beside her right now.

She is not the only one who is living with a long term disability from a work injury and has been denied compensation. There are cases all across Canada of the same thing.

There is a petition that has been created (Federal Public Judicial Inquiry into Wrongdoing by Workers Compensation Boards Across Canada) the goal of it is – “To promote fair and equitable compensation for injured workers in Canada, to address the mistreatment of injured workers and to voice the common concerns of injured workers across Canada.”

If you would sign the petition you will increase our chance of being heard and that would make a difference to so many people just like my sister. All you need to do is write your name. It’s as simple as that. The petition can be found at

http://www.gopetition.com/online/19942.html

Thank you for reading this, if you wish to forward this to anyone I would definitely encourage it. The more people that know, and sign their name, the more of a chance we will have.

Sincerely,
B.H. Hobson

This blog is written on behalf of Christy Petersen: Injured since 2007 – long term injury.
Compensation status: Denied.

After years of struggling with the idea of publishing, and wondering what will happen once I finish my manuscripts I’ve finally stumbled across the perfect resource to answer all my questions.

To my somewhat bitter surprise I found it in a world that I had, until only recently, refused to join. The world that is ‘Twitter’.

In my opinion it was a frivolous waste of time. After all, no one needs to know what anyone is up to 24 hours a day. I still stand by that viewpoint, however I have now realised that there is a large group of people on Twitter who post more than just what they ate for breakfast. It is surprisingly easy, with just a few well thought out search words, to find people who have the same interests as you. Or better yet, individuals who know a hell of a lot more about topics you are interested in.

Since joining Twitter I have made it my mission to search out people who will help me in my never ending endeavour to understand this mysterious entity that controls(for the most part) which books enter the public eye, and dispel all my incorrect assumptions about publishing.

And it is working. Despite now being fully aware of the trials and tribulations facing me when I am ready to submit that first query, I now at least know what to expect. And better yet, what is expected of me.

When I have a spare minute I am going to compile a list of all the people I have found most useful to follow, as well as links to a few very informative blogs. In this way I hope to pass on what I have learned. (odd. An image of a very short, green creature, with large ears and a walking stick just popped into my head. Can’t imagine why..)

There is no such thing as too much information… it is the method in which it is used that makes all the difference.

I’ve signed up for NaNoWriMo.

I know. I don’t believe it either. It’s not as if I have any writing projects on the go that ‘already’ need my attention. And I certainly don’t need to practice writing articles for anything remotely important… like my job.

That aside, I am simply tempted beyond belief and cannot help myself. I keep seeing overwhelming amounts of people who are so crazy and enthusiastic over the whole thing and I want to be a part of it!

I’ve already gone and created my account, so I certainly can’t back out of it now. But now that I have made the decision to go through with it, I find myself at a loss.

Should I start a brand new story solely for the sake of NaNoWriMo? It seems counter productive when I already have two that are in dire need of my attention and have only just begun writing on them again with any degree of regularity.
Should I write part 2 of one I have already begun? Do I have the ability to not stress over plot and just write for a month without giving in to the need to go back and edit and tweak? I’m not sure, I’m relatively fond of those characters, if they got themselves into any trouble because of me it would be a devastating blow.

Life choices. Such difficult things aren’t they?

However I decide, I’m in for a very interesting month, and I’m looking forward to the challenge. A giant kick in the butt and many sleepless nights might be exactly what I need.

… I just hope my husband can forgive me for ignoring him for 30 days..

P.S. If you have joined NaNoWriMo – Make the effort to read the e-mail they send out. If it doesn’t make you smile at least once then you have a terrible sense of humour and should be utterly disappointed in yourself.