Janalyn Voigt's Blog, page 45

Novel Notes: Change of Plans

I had to postpone my research trip to Montana when I injured my back. One of the problems of having a visionary bent is that I sometimes dream up greater landscaping accomplishments than my body can fulfill. I try to guard myself from this tendency. Gardening injuries don't always impact you at once. In my case, the next day after overexerting myself I developed a splitting headache. When I woke the following day my headache was gone. All seemed normal until about midmorning when I bent slightly from a standing position and felt my back muscle spasm. I could barely move. I put myself into bed for the day, much assisted by a young angel who brought me a bell to ring whenever I needed anything. I have always had a healthy back, so I thought I'd soon recover.

If anything, I was stiffer the next day. I had to walk with a "cane" – really a walking stick made of bamboo, a furniture leg cup and a foam bicycle handle cover. Because of my two bed-ridden days, my husband and I were not ready to leave on our research trip as planned, and I didn't know how my back would hold up to a long trip. We had reservations at a resort in McCall, Idaho that we couldn't cancel though. Since it was to be a combined anniversary and research trip, we decided to keep our anniversary getaway date.

I could do little to help prepare for our departure. Night fell long before we reached our destination. We chased a hunter's moon that rode rafts of clouds across a midnight sky. I've never seen such vibrant moonlight. It mantled the contorted shapes of mountains that reared above a dark river that cut through canyons.  I peered through the blued light, tantalized by glimpses of a fantastic landscape. River banks shone white and scattered pines thrust upward through thin soil. Here and there bare bones of stone gleamed. In our hurry, we used an online mapping site and so didn't know until signs informed us we journeyed through Hell's Canyon, Idaho. I'm glad we first saw this place by the light of the moon. 

The next day I abandoned my walking stick for stretches at a time. I'm convinced I would not have healed so quickly without the enforced rest inherent in car travel.

We made our return trip by the same route and so discovered Hell's Canyon in a new way. While we didn't make it to Montana (we'll reschedule that adventure), I'm sure the beauty we experienced on the trip we did take will make its way into my work-in-progess.

© 2010 Janalyn Voigt

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Quick Notes: Three Easy Steps to Manage Your Feeds

Importing feeds to a feed reader seems like a life-saver, at least until you stop visiting it because you can't keep up with hundreds of posts a day. What do you do when your feet get tangled in the lifeline?

I only know about Google Reader but do have a few tips to get the most from your feeds:

1. Create a folder for each subject you want to keep up on. Also make a "Consider Deleting" folder. I have folders for publishing news, readers in my genres and writer blogs/sites. As a bonus, you may discover subjects you should include.

2. Sort your feeds into these folders. If you find a feed that doesn't belong in one of your folders, either create a folder for it or delete it. If you're not sure you want to keep it, put it in your "consider deleting" folder.

3. Go through one folder each time you visit your feed reader to find feeds to delete. Also remove one of the feeds from your "Consider Deleting" folder by either adding it to another folder or deleting it.

Side Note: If you've joined my email blitz, let's give it another week to get your inbox cleared. Next week we'll tackle our email folders.

© 2010 Janalyn Voigt

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Notations: Endurance

"The mighty oak was once a little nut that stood its ground." ~ Unknown

© 2010 Janalyn Voigt

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Reader Notes: Book Video for "Healer" by Linda Windsor

Healer by Linda Windsor

Read my review of Healer .
© 2010 Janalyn Voigt

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Grace Notes: Does Your Life Matter?

My Mark

by

Janalyn Voigt

I've never met them,

These silent strangers.

They are to me but

A name on a stone -

Or no name at all,

Just a depression,

A mound in the earth,

Unmarked.

They lived before me

In a younger world -

Real people sighing

Through life

Before I took on

Flesh and breath -

Gone now,

Unremarked.

It doesn't seem fair.

They might never

Have existed at all -

For good or ill,

It all ended here,

On this windy hill -

Forlorn,

Forgotten.

I cannot know them,

I who am living.

God alone has

Decided their fate.

I walk from the place

And leave them behind.

I must make a mark

Not written on stone.

© 2010 Janalyn Voigt

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Notes to Self: Why Writers Are Angst-Ridden

Writers have a reputation for being angst-ridden and moody. We do our best to toe the line, build a platform and promote our work, at least if we want to survive in the marketplace, but most writers are artists first and business persons a distant second. We try not to take critiques, edits and reviews (remarkably similar processes when you think about it) too personally. We face our imperfections daily. We try to show up, shake hands, sign books, speak, blog, contact, tweet and update — and keep our souls intact. We strive to let rejections roll over us, brave a difficult publishing world with little encouragement and less money while keeping our faith alive and the courage of our convictions intact. Yes, writers can be angst-ridden and moody — at least perceived a certain way.

The truth is, we're just people committed to living a dream whatever it costs. But no matter what the outcome, we'll fail if all we count are costs.

Note to Self: Remember to count your blessings too.

© 2010 Janalyn Voigt

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Newsy Notes:Amazon's POD Deal, Bible a Kindle Bestseller, First Major Publisher Ebook Only Release

Amazon's CreateSpace division has struck a deal with the Library of Congress to make at least 50,000 public books available at Amazon.com. ~ Publisher's Weekly CreateSpace and Library of Congress in POD Deal

Bible Sales are good. Around 25 million units are sold annually, by conservative estimates. More than 91% of American households own Bibles, and those households own an average of three, according to the Somersault Group, which consults on digital publishing. Widespread distribution started with Gutenberg, and the Bible is today a Kindle bestseller. ~ Publisher's Weekly The State of the Word Is Good

An Ebook First: …a major publisher (Little, Brown) is taking its first title directly to e-book … no print version. ~ Michael Weinstein It Was Bound to Happen

© 2010 Janalyn Voigt

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Novel Notes: Downsizing, Email Blitz, Research Trip and Pictures

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This week I've begun preparations for promotion of DawnSinger by stepping back and deciding what to keep and what to offload in my life in general and my writing career in particular. That's always the first step when you begin a new undertaking.

I'm also working to make my business email account more functional. That means streamlining everything I possibly can, unsubscribing to whatever I should and teaching myself new time-saving technologies. In fact, I've declared a personal email blitz. Yesterday in the Quick Notes portion of this blog, I invited others to join me. Want support to make a change?  Be sure to check out that post.

I'm still preparing to research my historical fiction work in progress on location in Montana.

If you haven't seen them, you might want to take a look at some beautiful pictures of Austrian Hohenwerfen Castle, which I used as a model for Braeth Hold in DawnSinger, book one of Tales of Faeraven (releasing in 2011). They're on my Facebook Page for Tales of Faeraven.

That's my news. How about you? What's up in your world?

© 2010 Janalyn Voigt

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Quick Notes: Blitz Your Email

This week I got trigger happy and deleted quite a few. You know what? It felt good. Maybe it's a little like losing weight. You have to reach a point of frustration with the status quo in order to make things better. I'm so there as far as cleaning up my email goes.

I'm ahead of most people, I hear, because I've zeroed my email account several times recently. The only trouble, it doesn't stay zeroed. All it takes for me to get seriously behind is the lapse of just one or two days. That's nuts. Also, although I do zero my inbox, that doesn't mean I'm on top of all the emails stuffed into my folders. Not at all.  And those folders represent my functionality.

That's going to change. I'll do an all-out blitz until I've established order in my email account. I'll rack my own brain, borrow from others and teach myself the technology I'll need to get it done.

I know I'm not alone in my frustration with email. If you are with me, start by getting riled. Put on some upbeat music. Don't worry about your folders yet. Just delete every single unnecessary email you find in your inbox. Show no mercy. It's cathartic, really.

See you next Monday.

© 2010 Janalyn Voigt

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Quick Notes: Join the Email Blitz

This week I got trigger happy with the delete key in my email account. You know what? It felt good. Maybe it's a little like losing weight. You have to reach a point of frustration with the status quo in order to make sacrifices. I'm so there as far as cleaning up my email goes.

I'm ahead of most people, I hear, because I've zeroed my email account several times recently. The only trouble, it doesn't stay zeroed. All it takes for me to get seriously behind is the lapse of just one or two days. That's nuts. Also, although I do zero my inbox, that doesn't mean I'm on top of all the emails stuffed into my folders. Not at all.  And those folders represent my functionality.

That's going to change. I'll do an all-out blitz until I've established order in my email account. I'll rack my own brain, borrow from others and teach myself the technology I'll need to get it done.

I know I'm not alone in my frustration with email. If you are with me, start by getting riled. Put on some upbeat music. Don't worry about your folders yet. Just delete every single unnecessary email you find in your inbox. Show no mercy. It's cathartic, really.

See you next Monday.

© 2010 Janalyn Voigt

Click to Subscribe to Notes From the Edge by Email