A little break

I probably should have said this last week, but I’m trying to wean myself off the shoulds — I’m taking a micro blogging break over the holidays while I dig into the chapters I’m currently writing. Can i just say for the record that writing a book is challenging and hard. It’s also amazing, don’t get me wrong, but these days I’m getting a daily derriere kicking as I mine my healing journey for nuggets of wisdom. The irritating who do you think you are? voice is having so much fun with me, it’s not true. When authors quip they put ‘blood, sweat and tears’ into their book they’re not kidding. When this book reaches your hands just know that you’ll be holding a little piece of my heart – seriously.

In other news, I’m sad I haven’t had more time to do the #Reverb10 prompts because they’ve all been fabulous! Perhaps when I’m deep in procrastination mode I’ll pull one out to blog. I’ll definitely be back next weekend for a Wobble update (reindeer costume, people!), and also for New Year’s Eve because I’m excited to share my word for 2011.

In the meantime, some links to peruse if the holidays are making you crazy… consider my blog a safe haven of linkie love :) Happy holidays, everyone! xo

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(Above) Four years of photos shared on Flickr, made into a 3-minute slideshow at pummelvision.com – shows me how my eye has developed

This hilarious clip needs to be watched DAILY – what animals are really saying

Grandmother turned caped crusader

Fish-eye and macro/wide-angle lenses for iPhones

New app obsessions: Instagram :: Inception :: Cartolina :: Kindle :: Instapaper :: PlainText :: iPeriod :: Google (voice-activated searches!)

On my wish list:  Pema Chodron on Unconditional Confidence (audio)

Loving Tara’s free ebook, Jen’s inspiring work space, Sas’s winter mixtape, Clare’s Women in Business manifesto and Neil’s Fifth Annual Blogger Christmalhijrahanukwanzaakah online concert!

DVD gift vouchers burning a hole in your pocket? Can heartily recommend Fringe, Lie to Me and Flashforward

“Coffee, it becames my passions.”

The cat in the hat

The cat in the sweater

Magic is possible with the Impossible film

Inspiring: Tony Porter’s TED Talk – A Call to Men

Zenning out with Fabeku’s Don’t Lose Your Shit Kit

Reminder of how amazing the world really is: Timelapse of the Aurora Borealis

And finally, say hello to Abi, my hair colourist :)

The Dance of Procrastination


December 2. Writing

What do you do each day that doesn’t contribute to your writing — and can you eliminate it? (author: Leo Babauta)

Bloody hell, where do I start? Sometimes I feel my entire day is set up to keep me away from my writing — there are so many shiny things that catch my eye! Doing the Digital Detox definitely helped refine my focus while I’m online and I’m trying to reduce time spent on the interwebs so I can sink more deeply into the writing. But here’s my dilemma: my biz exists online and it’s important for me to be where my biz is; the secret is not getting sucked into the rabbit warren of links to links to links — that’s where I’m haemorrhaging time and energy. I tell myself it’s “research” and that I’m filling my inspiration cup, but that is, frankly, a load of crap. All I’m doing is the time honoured Dance of Procrastination and it’s gotta stop.

Tomorrow.

So until my book exists out there in the real world (this thought makes me want to do jumping jacks around the room) and I’m off doing my global book tour* I will be here, on this sofa, looking a bit perplexed as I type into my laptop. With the internet disabled.

For #Reverb10

* slight exaggeration.

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I always feel much more comfortable doing this on Twitter than I do here on the blog, but here goes… Registration for the January session of Unravelling is opening this Saturday! Woot!

A quiet space

If there are no words here it means I am saving them for the book.
If there are no words for the book it means i am panicking.

The book is about unravelling, and that is exactly what i am doing: unravelling the words, ideas, memories, theories. Unravelling the fear that I can’t do this, the worry that it’s too much; the responsibility to pen something of value; my seeming inability to just get out of my own way and trust that the job will be done. The nightmares are back; you’d see a rainbow if you scanned my brain these days, there’s so much activity going on.

The voice is becoming clearer and stronger, however, so I plod on and hope for the best. I had a moment this morning where I laughed out loud at myself, sitting there fretting about writing words down. I mean, could it be any more ridiculous? Writing words down! Stringing words together into sentences. How hard can it be?

I have moments when i wish I still smoked.

Day thirty-one

It’s the last day. This month (or maybe it’s just today) has felt really overwhelming for me, in terms of work and my own expectations, so having the August break Flickr pool to dip in to has been such a joy. I’ve loved peeking into so many Augusts around the world, and I’m loving that the Flickr group will remain online so we can keep sharing our photos and lives – it’s the August Break Continued, folks!

I have 12 days before I leave for the States, so I think i’ll stick with the minimal posting for now. I’ve been toying with the idea of getting a few guests posts on the blog while i’m sequestered in book-writing-land – what do you guys think? Would that be fun, or are you okay with tiny hellos from me? I’m really missing proper blogging, but also know I need to save my daily word allotment for the book. And it’s turning out to be quite the emotional roller coaster! No surprises there, I guess – my unconscious is throwing up all kinds of nighttime treats as i weave this story together. It’s exciting, scary, humbling, exhausting, challenging and oh-my-god-what-have-i-let-myself-in-for? And hard. And very very illuminating…