Janalyn Voigt's Blog, page 49

Notations: Growth

Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning. ~ Benjamin Franklin

Reader Notes: A Mom's Overture

This video by Anita Renfroe pokes gentle fun at Motherhood.

© 2010 Janalyn Voigt

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Notes to Self: Opportunity Costs

This week I passed up two opportunities to strengthen friendships. I must not become so busy I forget to love others. Those opportunities will never come again in the same way. I told myself I'll find other chances to visit with my friends, but, when I stop to think about it, I have no certainty of that.
Life is but a vapor. Why do I forget to remember that in the daily grind of life? None of us ever has more than right now. Any grand feats (or even ignoble ones) lie buried in memory. Hopes...

Grace Notes: Surviving Transition

A "new disease." That's the term vocal students in my college attached to a particular, and distressing, affliction we all suffered at one time or another. It happened whenever one of our voice teachers added a new technique to the already-long list of "Things to Think About While Singing." It seemed that concentrating on posture, support, breath control, placement, pitch, duration, dynamics, phrasing, tempo and oh yes — the words to sing — was not enough. It also became necessary to...

Newsy Notes: Tweetdeck Changes and E-Reader wars

The new version of Tweetdeck has some interesting trending topics options. http://rww.to/c4rC4F
In the continuing e-reader wars, Amazon gains retail space for Kindle with Best Buys. http://bit.ly/a6slr2
Can you guess the most valuable card in your wallet? http://bit.ly/987HRX
Enter the drawing to win a year of livescribe products: http://bit.ly/9kUDOB
Did you catch my review of Rooms by James L Rubart? Here's a link to it on my Novel Books website. Check out the bookshop for my book...

Novel Notes: Cover for "DawnSinger"

 

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I'm happy to announce we've settled on a cover for DawnSinger, my debut novel which will release with Port Yonder Press in 2011. Anna O'Brien is an amazing artist. I've enjoyed the process as we weighed various cover designs and decided on how best to present my story to the world. 

Visit the Fantasy Books tab to learn more about "DawnSinger" and the "Tales of Faeraven" trilogy.

© 2010 Janalyn Voigt

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Notations: Nowadays

When I was young,

I sprang from my bed.

Nowadays,

I rise from the dead.

© 2010 Janalyn Voigt

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Notes to Self: My Disclaimer

Because I post so often about time management, purpose and margin, my readers may visualize me as a paragon of efficiency. Let me assure you, I learn as I go, just like you. Part of my rationale for starting this weekly feature of my blog, Notations, is to dispell any misconceptions about me. I will make a weekly diary entry about some aspect of my existence. I had to get past my own resistance to the idea since I'm (a) a private person and (b) not sure my life is all that interesting...

Grace Notes: Shutting Out the Noise

It's difficult, if not downright impossible, to keep on top of all the information and conversations directed at me. Just opening my email splits my focus in a variety of ways, if I let it.

Ah, there's the key. While I can't completely control my environment, I can control how I respond to it. In other words, if my office gets too loud with all those virtual people talking at once, I have only to shut the unwelcome guests into their own "rooms" (files) until I'm ready to take them on. This...

Take Your Life Back (Or Why Books Have Margins)

Ever visit a website where every available space is occupied by text, pictures, scrolling thingees and flashing pop-ups? Nine-to-one, you backed right on out of there.

Website owners often make the mistake of leaving no margins. What if book publishers did that? If the print went right to the edges of the page, the reader might have a similar reaction as the website visitor, above. The eye needs somewhere to rest.

Why, then, do we think we can cram our lives full and still function? If you know just what I mean here, it's time to take your life back. Ditch everything that goes "blinkee" but has no substance and let yourself have the rest you need.