Kaspa and Fiona have taken over my blog for today, because they need our help. They are both on a mission to help the world connect with the world through writing. They are also getting married on Saturday the 18th of June. For their fantasy wedding present, they are asking people across the world to write them a ˜small stone' and post it on their blogs or on Facebook or Twitter. A small stone is a short piece of observational writing simply pay attention to something properly and then write it down. Find out more about small stones here. If you're willing to help, we'd love you to do things: 1) Re-post this blog on your own blog any time before June the 18th and give your readers a chance to hear about what we're doing. You can simply copy and paste the text, or you can find the html here. 2) Write us a small stone on our wedding day whilst we're saying our vows and eating cake, post it on your blog, and send it to us. You can find out more about our project … [Read more...]
NaSmaStoMo – Small stone month update
During the month of January 2011, I took the small stone challenge - noticing one thing properly every day and writing it down. And I'm pleased to say that one of my thirty-one small stones appears in the book: pay attention: a river of stones, edited by Fiona Robyn and Kaspalita. I have always thought I paid attention to the details around me, but with this challenge I looked particularly at what was going on in nature. I take regular walks to the beach and that was a perfect opportunity to pay attention. My small stone in the book is something a saw about the ocean one day. I've posted three links for you to buy either a paperback, hardback, or download edition of the book. I hope you will and that you like it. I can't wait to get mine and read the other 349 small stones in the book. The book also contains short prose pieces written by the editors, longer quotes by several small-stoners, and an appendix with lots of information about how to write small stones. You can … [Read more...]
Last stone for NaSmaStoMo
Jan 31: I walked just one block toward the ocean this morning, and the salt air and sunshine told me just how glorious a day this is going to be. … [Read more...]
Small stones January twenty-three to thirty
One more day left - Jan 23: Thick black clouds rose into the sky and dissipated into the blue. And I don't know where they came from. Jan 23: Packing boxes, putting fragile ware out of harm's way, throwing out detritus, and running up and down the stairs until we've completed the prep work for our wood floor renovation this week, I wonder, is it more trouble than it's worth? Jan 24: So tired and it's only eleven thirty in the morning. But I'm pushing on. Jan 24: I walk from my car to the gym in the dark cold morning, holding my jacket closed to the chill. But I refuse to park closer. The cold wakes me up and the walk gives my workout a jump start. Jan 25: The plane's loud hum doesn't disrupt its smooth dissent. Jan 25: White snowy peaks rise just above the cloud-line. Jan 26: The clear lake like a mirror reflects the pine trees standing green and proud along its edge. Jan 26: One hundred year old vines, thick, gnarled, bent over like old men, stand in long … [Read more...]
Small Stones fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, and eighteen
Jan 14: Rotating and moving my ankle back and forth seems to have erased the pain. Jan 15: I am unable to lift my mood out of its blue funk since last Saturday's shooting in Tucson. Jan 16: Flip-flops, spaghetti straps, shorts all in sight on this unseasonably hot winter day. Jan 17: I'm being very lax today: late to rise, late to workout, late to get to my desk. And it's all quite okay. Jan 18: The line at the post office reached out the door while impatient customers coughed, shuffled their feet, and beat their fingers on the ledge as they waited for the one postal employee to call Next. … [Read more...]
Small Stones seven through thirteen
Jan 7: I'm going through each page of my manuscript combing every line for my editor's neatly printed turquoise blue pen marks. Jan 8: We sit crushed together on hard folding-chair seats, gobbling down every word our writing gurus say. Jan 9: The little babies converse across the booth seat as we eat at the Corner Bakery this morning. Jan 10: I watch the tiny leaves sway in the yard next door under a gray, gloom. Jan 11: One loud jolt, then a short rumbling shake. Yes, a small earthquake but I don't worry. (And I lived to write about it.) Jan 12: The waves roll in lazily; their whitecaps barely able to touch the shore. Jan 13: A starling family hops around a small garden near the beach, their dark metallic feathers etched with gold specks. … [Read more...]
Small stones four, five, and six
Jan 5: I walked through our town's new sculpture garden this morning. The hilly grass a perfect backdrop for our budding artists. Jan 6: She brushed my hair flat against my back and snipped little sections diagonally about a half an inch, trimming the ends. Jan 7: I'm going through each page of my manuscript combing every line for my editor's neatly printed turquoise blue pen marks. … [Read more...]
First small stones
North end of Manhattan Beach NaSmaStoMo entries for days one through three: Jan 1: The puffy white jet streams intersect the morning's clear blue sky, belying those dire predictions of rain. Jan 2: The bubbles dance on my cement pool's surface, waiting for the birds to drink. Jan 3: My little Buddhas in green, gold, silver, and stone, greet me with laughter, success, and good health. They watch me closely as I write. … [Read more...]
