Writing Life Contract

I'm in the final stage of completing the Literary Living Program (see link at left side of blog). One of the things we did during the course was to develop a six-month Writing Life Contract. I have finished mine and am busy and happily writing away. Because I can't resist adding visual elements nowadays, I wrote my traditional computer/print version and also did a six panel mixed media collage version to have on my desk to inspire me.

Cookie the baby penguin

Just in case there's someone out there who did not see the video on the news or YouTube of Cookie being tickled, here it is! This is too cute for words.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyKZtpT4F-U

Read an article about Cookie here:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1378361/Cookie-penguin-tiny-internet-star-loves-tickled.html

Recently read: William Kent Krueger’s Red Knife

This St. Paul author continues to produce well-written, fast-paced books about life in rural Northern Minnesota, the complex relationships between the whites and the tribes, the poor and the wealthy, and the way violence can ricochet between them. This is a Cork O’Connor book, with O’Connor once again the former sheriff. Gangs have come to Tamarack County, and the Red Boyz, an Ojibwe gang, seems to be at the heart of a wave of drugs and death. O’Connor has to tread carefully between vows of vengeance and further violence. As ever, a page-turner.

Sites worth seeing

When you explore, it helps to have your Idle Muse inspire you!

Here are some great web sites, articles and blogs I’ve discovered recently and thought I’d share:
http://www.rightbrainbusinessplan.com/
http://www.gwenbell.com/ (currently in transformation, but worth a look in the mean time)
http://www.goddessguidebook.com/

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/series/writersrooms (let’s you be a legal window peeper!)
http://blog.crescendoh.com/crescendoh/
http://acartwrightstudio.blogspot.com/

Summer Writers Colony in New York City

This sounds fabulous! From June 6 through 23, you can live a writer's in the mecca for writers for three weeks. Participate in workshops in fiction, nonfiction and poetry in a supportive atmosphere with other writers. Attend readings, take literary tours of Greenwich Village, and participate in literary salons where you can meet professional and award winning authors and journalists. See http://www.newschool.edu/summerwriters/ for more details.

Recently read: Lynda LaPlante’s Cold Shoulder

LaPlante, whose book Prime Suspect was the basis of the British television series starring Helen Mirren, has a number of other series books that are also gripping. This one features Lorraine Page, a Pasadena homicide detective whose alcoholism and its resulting behavior gets her kicked off the force. That doesn’t stop her from tracking down a serial killer—or are there more than one? Excellent read.

Poetry Forum on the Old Farmer’s Almanac

The Old Farmer's Almanac is the oldest continuously published periodical in the U.S. Since 1792, it has been informing its readers of weather forecasts, tides, astronomy data, and planting guides. It literally has something of interest for everyone, of every age. I love that it’s online as well—talk about adapting to the changes in media. Visit http://www.almanac.com/ to sign up for its email newsletter. Also, click on Blogs and Forums then scroll down, click on More Forums, scroll again until you find the Poetry Forum. Note that the Poetry Forum is only for amateur writers and photographers.

Photo from Wikipedia

Please go to this site and watch the short video in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. and the workers of America who are again fighting for their rights: http://www.afscme.org/april4

April’s Script Frenzy

Spring bulbs image from Dover Publications at http://store.doverpublications.com/

Script Frenzy begins today. Sign on at http://www.scriptfrenzy.org/ to write your TV show script, your film script, or your screenplay script during 30 April days. And any young people you know can go to http://ywp.scriptfrenzy.org/ for the Script Frenzy Young Writers Program. Like NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), this gets your writing muscles going and that idea that’s been hanging out in the back of your head actually out into the spring air!