Love & Other Stuff – an update
I wanted to give you all an update of where I’m up to with Love & Other Stuff. It’s been a fascinating project to work on and I’m glad I made the decision to go ahead with the book. I will be more or less able to stick to my revised publication time frame of February 2015, barring unforeseen circumstances, of course. It’s been relatively straightforward to convert this blog to a book, and I would urge anyone who has been blogging for a while to consider publication. It’s also been enjoyable rereading old posts (the book spans the years 2006 up to the end of 2014).
I also wanted to share with you some of my learnings, because I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t, and it might help other would-be authorpreneurs* in their quest for independent publishing status.
Scrivener
I was only a couple of weeks into the compilation when I realised Word wouldn’t cut it as writing tool. I had too much content to organise for cutting and pasting to be effective. I couldn’t easily navigate around my manuscript. I knew about Scrivener, and I had heard that other authors loved it, so I downloaded a trial copy and imported Love & Other Stuff into Scrivener. I enjoyed using it so much I ended up buying a full license.
One of the really cool things about Scrivener is that you can export a complete manuscript, fully formatted for either print or for ebooks, in a wide variety of file types. But while it’s cool, it’s also tricky, and I am working hard to master the compile function (I’ve spent lots of time on YouTube lately). I’m nearly there, and just need to fiddle around with the output a little more. Other than that, it’s an intuitive program to use and makes life as a writer much easier.
Failure to launch
I wonder how many readers are experiencing, or have experienced, what I’ve been dealing with over the last year or so? Let me set the scene for you. My daughter is 21, nearly 22, and has been working more or less full-time since she left school, just before she turned 17. She has not moved
Three things you absolutely, positively must know about yourself
One of the easiest—yet hardest—things you can do to enhance the quality of your life (and in doing so, up your happiness factor by a quotient of at least 10) is to know yourself and know what makes you tick. I say easiest, because it’s much easier to unpack yourself and get to know how
NaBloPoMo 2014: an update
A couple of weeks ago I posted about my failed attempt to participate in NaNoWriMo and how I decided to become a NaNoRebel and do NaBloPoMo instead. Given that we are more than half way through November, I thought I would give you an update as to how I’ve fared and what I’ve learned so far. Because I had specific goal in mind when I did my about-face, I’m pleased to report that this exercise has been very successful. You can read all the stuff I’ve been writing over at Delicious Scribblings.
I’ve gotten back into the habit of writing creatively
As you may recall, I started this exercise with the express intent of rebuilding my creative writing muscle. I knew that if I wrote every day, it would come back, and it has. Just the act of having to post (because I committed to doing so publicly) has been just the incentive I’ve needed. I’m a firm believer that one shouldn’t wait for the muse to strike. If one waits, one will do a lot of waiting and not much writing. The muse must be able to be summoned at will, and this happens through cultivating a writing habit. If I learned nothing else from running, I learned this: if I wait for the motivation to run, I’d still be sitting on the couch. The key to successful running is to develop a habit which overrides the urge to do nothing. Writing is the same.
On confidence
I was asked a very interesting question by one of my colleagues recently. The question was: Where do you get your confidence? My colleague went on to say that she had noticed twice— in conversations that I had with her and others—that I was happy to say stuff I was doing was good. Like this
Justin Timberlake: a priceless experience
The last gig I went to was Foo Fighters in 2011. I vowed it would be the last big concert I would ever go to. While I loved the Fooeys and was blown away with how awesome they were (as was Jack Black and Tenacious D), I really didn’t enjoy the actual concert experience per
Things remembered fondly 2.0
This is part of an occasional series where I recall my childhood and teen years spent in Mt Gambier. Part 1 is here. This is all part of a concerted effort to balance out what was a rather toxic family life, which I also write about. I figure these sorts of musings might also come in
On running my first half marathon ever
Back in 2011 when I started running, I only ever wanted to be able to run 5kms comfortably. It took me two years of loving-hating-loving running to get to that 5 km point. But, nevertheless, I persevered, and running has come to be part of my identity. I run, therefore I am. It was a
A birthday* ode to Tom Hardy
This post was inspired by Meghan O’Keefe who wrote Dear Ryan Gosling… please stop where she implores Ryan Gosling to, well, stop being so Ryan Gosling, because he’s made it so difficult for other men to measure up. I know how she feels, because Tom Hardy is my benchmark of where I measure men on
Recruitment: still a flawed (bullshit) process
About six years ago, when I was desperately looking for work, I became so disenchanted with the recruitment process, I started a blog/website called Even It Up! in an attempt to even up the power imbalance between the jobseeker and recruiter. Here was I: a Masters student with a GPA so good I was awarded
I’m writing a book!
Actually, I’m not so much writing a book, as collating and editing one. Because, you see, the writing has already been written. I am turning this blog – The Diane Lee Project – into a book, and the book is called Love & Other Stuff. I plan to have this book ready by Christmas February
Over it!
I was sitting in a writer’s seminar on the weekend, bored out of my brain, wishing the presenter would up the pace and that my fellow participants* would just shut the fuck up. I had paid $60 for the privilege and I expected a lot more for my money than what was dished up. Actually,