Goals for 2014–July Update
Poems read: 805/365
Poems written: 265/365
Short stories read: 327/365
Short stories written: 18/52
Books read: 75/52
Submissions: 4/24
Videos made: 9/100
Sketches made: 169/365
Art pieces made: 40/52
- Bookbinding–made 21 books this year
- Sketching–in progress!
- Ink drawings–in progress!
- Urban Sketching
- Charcoal–in progress!
- Markers–in progress!
- Watercolor–in progress!
- Finger paint
- Digital–in progress!
- Photography–in progress!
- Music composition-in progress!
- Mail art–in progress!
- Quilting-in progress!
- Knitting–in progress!
- Cake Decorating–in progress!
- Origami–in progress!
- Cooking–in progress!
Doodle a Day
I will do my best to make a doodle a day and fill my sketchbooks. The goal: 365 days. 4 down. Check out Theresa Williams’ doodles here.
Lydia Netzer
It was wonderful to meet Lydia Netzer, a BGSU alumna, at the Toledo library. She said that publishing a novel is like handing the writer a box of matches–the writer can only fight so many edits. So save them for the important stuff. She works on five or six novels at a time, writing until she hits a roadblock before moving on to the next project.
I’m excited to read “Shine Shine Shine” and “How to Tell Toledo From the Night Sky.” Check out articles about her here and here.
Finn Family Moomintroll–Tove Jansson
- I have an idea. What about going to the top of the mountain and making a pile of stones to show that we were the first to get there?
- Some people look better without hats.
- As everyone knows, if the first butterfly you see is yellow the summer will be a happy one. If it is white then you will just have a quiet summer. Black and brown butterflies should never be talked about—they are much too sad.
- Snufkin wasn’t in yet. On such nights he often wandered about alone with his mouth-organ, but tonight there was no song to be heard. He was probably on a voyage of discovery, and soon he would put up his tent by the river, refusing to sleep indoors.
- Meanwhile Snufkin was wandering along with only the waves for company. He had a wonderful time jumping out of their way at the last minute, and laughing as the snapped in vain at his boots.
- One must be alone sometimes. But you’re still too young to understand that.
- It is autumn in Moomin valley, of how else can spring come back again?
Comet in Moominland–Tove Jansson
I first discovered Tove Jansson’s work while researching Finnish authors. I didn’t realize when I started reading the Moomin comics and this book series that I would finally find my favorite books of all time. One of the questions I’ve always hated is “What is your favorite book(s)?” because I have a lot of favorites. Now, the answer is easy. “Anything by Tove Jansson about Moomins.”
The Letter Project–Letter to Theresa
I had a great time at The Cleveland Museum of Art. I wrote a letter to Theresa on postcards with knights and armor.
Epistolarium–Doll Issue
Check out the doll I wrote on for my sister as part of the Doll Issue for Epistolarium.
Shades of Milk and Honey
I enjoyed this book very much because it combined Jane Austen novels with magic. And since my novel for NaNo this year is also set in the Victorian era, I will have to reread Jane Austen’s work.
My Favorite Quotes:
- It is not the knowledge of glamour which I guard; it is the art created by it. Illusions should be entrancing without someone looking behind the scenes to see how they are made. Would you enjoy a play where you saw the mechanicals exposed? For me, it is much the same. I want the illusion to remain whole. If someone thinks about how it is done, then I have failed in my art.
- …I want to transport the audience to another place; I do not want them to think of effort or technique.
- One must not trust novelists, Beth; they create worlds to fit their own needs and drive their characters mad in doing it.
The Letter Project–Letter to Mary
I made a Blizzard Book and wrote a letter to Mary.
Suzanna and Writing 