Lydia Howe's Blog, page 17
April 13, 2016
K is for Kid-like #atozchallenge
Creativity is a lifestyle for me, not an action. This month I'm exploring twenty-six quirky ways I keep my creativity flowing.
I've discovered that sometimes when people grow up they lose some of their creativity. If you watch a kid though, they often times float through life with a sense of wonder. Practically everything is new and exciting to them. They dance and twirl through the day, tasting, touching, smelling, exploring, creating.
When I was a kid I spent endless hours playing in our sandbox, creating villages and farms. We built forts in the woods. We dug around the bank in our creek and developed our own islands. We chopped down trees and made a tipi. We made houses out of groves of trees. We "survived" on editable flowers and acted like we lived outdoors.
Now that I'm older my creativity and imagination has taken somewhat of a different track, but I still try and approach each day with the idea of inspiration and opportunities bursting forth from every direction. Each day is filled with wonder to explore and develop and mine and it makes life exciting. I love exploring aspects of life that most people my age don't even notice... That might be one reason why practically everyone guesses me to be about a third of my age, but hey, having a kid-like sense of wonder is something I fully embrace.
I've been enjoying sitting in a very comfy lounge snacking on delicious sweets and coffee as I edit and blog. I'm getting a ton accomplished and having a wonderful time doing so.
* * *
How are some ways you cultivate a kid-like wonder of the world around you?
I've discovered that sometimes when people grow up they lose some of their creativity. If you watch a kid though, they often times float through life with a sense of wonder. Practically everything is new and exciting to them. They dance and twirl through the day, tasting, touching, smelling, exploring, creating.
When I was a kid I spent endless hours playing in our sandbox, creating villages and farms. We built forts in the woods. We dug around the bank in our creek and developed our own islands. We chopped down trees and made a tipi. We made houses out of groves of trees. We "survived" on editable flowers and acted like we lived outdoors.
Now that I'm older my creativity and imagination has taken somewhat of a different track, but I still try and approach each day with the idea of inspiration and opportunities bursting forth from every direction. Each day is filled with wonder to explore and develop and mine and it makes life exciting. I love exploring aspects of life that most people my age don't even notice... That might be one reason why practically everyone guesses me to be about a third of my age, but hey, having a kid-like sense of wonder is something I fully embrace.
I've been enjoying sitting in a very comfy lounge snacking on delicious sweets and coffee as I edit and blog. I'm getting a ton accomplished and having a wonderful time doing so.
* * *
How are some ways you cultivate a kid-like wonder of the world around you?
April 12, 2016
J is for Just Start #atozchallenge
Creativity is a lifestyle for me, not an action. This month I'm exploring twenty-six quirky ways I keep my creativity flowing.
There are times when the most creative thing I feel like doing is coming up with excuses as to why I'm not being more creative. It's during those times when I have to give myself a good pep talk and decide to Just start. It doesn't matter if I start out with junk that I'm going to get rid of later on, what matters is that I get out of the creative-less rut I've dug for myself.
Just starting instead allowing myself to continue in the wrong direction helps me to regain focus and spurs me on toward greater creativity. It's not always easy, but it's nearly always worth while.
* * *
I'm in Cancun, Mexico this week and I've spent a good portion of the day editing WLHYL and having a fantastic time doing so. I'm so excited about where this book is headed and am enjoying seeing it take shape and morph into an actual story. Thankfully my creativity is on full-blast and I'm getting a lot done.
This ^ is the view I had while editing this morning. It just so happens that having a glorious setting also helps my creativity flow. =)
There are times when the most creative thing I feel like doing is coming up with excuses as to why I'm not being more creative. It's during those times when I have to give myself a good pep talk and decide to Just start. It doesn't matter if I start out with junk that I'm going to get rid of later on, what matters is that I get out of the creative-less rut I've dug for myself.
Just starting instead allowing myself to continue in the wrong direction helps me to regain focus and spurs me on toward greater creativity. It's not always easy, but it's nearly always worth while.
* * *
I'm in Cancun, Mexico this week and I've spent a good portion of the day editing WLHYL and having a fantastic time doing so. I'm so excited about where this book is headed and am enjoying seeing it take shape and morph into an actual story. Thankfully my creativity is on full-blast and I'm getting a lot done.
This ^ is the view I had while editing this morning. It just so happens that having a glorious setting also helps my creativity flow. =)
April 11, 2016
Airport Stories.
This morning I got up at one to get ready to leave for the airport and board my first flight of the day at six (we're a couple of hours from the airport).
Our plane just now landed for our layover, but I'm still sitting in the taxing plane, waiting for it to stop. Watching the pavement crawl by outside I am musing over past flights that didn't go quite as smoothly as the one I was just on. I truly enjoy flying, but sometimes it can be quite the experience...
Like the time I flew to Peru, South America and they were having a transportation strike in the city where we landed and the runway was lined with soldiers with machine guns in case anyone tried anything stupid. Thankfully no one did at the airport. We spent hours in the waiting area though because no vehicles could come to pick us up. Two buses tried to make it to the airport but the mobs stopped them and slashed the tires and the drivers had to escape. Fun, right?
Or several years later when I was traveling to Peru again and our second flight was delayed which meant we missed our third flight... Which meant we were in an air-conditioner-less hotel in Columbia which actually had windows that opened onto the Tarmac. It was kinda weird because there weren't any monitors to give us updates so we spent 12 hours with a group of other travels waiting around and asking questions trying to figure out when the next flight was.
We ended up arriving in Lima, Peru very late that night and headed to the hotel where we had been supposed to spend the whole day and night, but now only had four hours until we needed to leave for the airport again. We had to lug our huge amounts of luggage (we we're taking stuff to friends who lived there) up six flights of narrow, curling stairs. It was across from where the president of Peru lived, though, so that was pretty cool.
Then there was the time I was flying to Ghana, Africa and the flight was supposed to be 9 hours long and we ended up being in the plane for 19 hours. That included an "emergency" landing in The Ivory Coast because there were dust storms at the airport where we were supposed to land.
The longest traveling time award goes to my trip home from Indonesia... It was 55 hours of traveling which feels extremely long...
And I could go on, but after a rushed run through one of the biggest airports in the USA I'm finally in my seat and we are about to take off.
Oh, and our destination for the Around The World post is The Grand Caymen Islands. (In real life I'm headed to Mexico.)
Our plane just now landed for our layover, but I'm still sitting in the taxing plane, waiting for it to stop. Watching the pavement crawl by outside I am musing over past flights that didn't go quite as smoothly as the one I was just on. I truly enjoy flying, but sometimes it can be quite the experience...
Like the time I flew to Peru, South America and they were having a transportation strike in the city where we landed and the runway was lined with soldiers with machine guns in case anyone tried anything stupid. Thankfully no one did at the airport. We spent hours in the waiting area though because no vehicles could come to pick us up. Two buses tried to make it to the airport but the mobs stopped them and slashed the tires and the drivers had to escape. Fun, right?
Or several years later when I was traveling to Peru again and our second flight was delayed which meant we missed our third flight... Which meant we were in an air-conditioner-less hotel in Columbia which actually had windows that opened onto the Tarmac. It was kinda weird because there weren't any monitors to give us updates so we spent 12 hours with a group of other travels waiting around and asking questions trying to figure out when the next flight was.
We ended up arriving in Lima, Peru very late that night and headed to the hotel where we had been supposed to spend the whole day and night, but now only had four hours until we needed to leave for the airport again. We had to lug our huge amounts of luggage (we we're taking stuff to friends who lived there) up six flights of narrow, curling stairs. It was across from where the president of Peru lived, though, so that was pretty cool.
Then there was the time I was flying to Ghana, Africa and the flight was supposed to be 9 hours long and we ended up being in the plane for 19 hours. That included an "emergency" landing in The Ivory Coast because there were dust storms at the airport where we were supposed to land.
The longest traveling time award goes to my trip home from Indonesia... It was 55 hours of traveling which feels extremely long...
And I could go on, but after a rushed run through one of the biggest airports in the USA I'm finally in my seat and we are about to take off.
Oh, and our destination for the Around The World post is The Grand Caymen Islands. (In real life I'm headed to Mexico.)
I is for Imagination #atozchallenge
Creativity is a lifestyle for me, not an action. This month I'm exploring twenty-six quirky ways I keep my creativity flowing.
My imagination is wild and highly active. Most of my books have started out as little ideas planted in my brain when I'm doing a routine task that I turn into something exciting by pretending it's something different.
Milking the goats? It's back in the Medieval Ages and I've been sent on a mission to find the lost princess who is rumored to live as a slave. I work at farms along the way to earn enough food to stay alive.
Cooking? I have a cooking show and I have to explain how the ingredients mix together just right and how the every-day items are going to turn into a masterpiece for the tastebuds.
Cleaning the house with my little brother? We're in a castle and I'm the queen, he's the princess. We're in one of our smaller castles so he can learn the necessary art of menial tasks so he always appreciates his servants who normally perform them. (Plus of course we have to spend along secret messages and make sure to keep the castle safe.)
And I could go on and on. What are some ways you use your imagination?
My imagination is wild and highly active. Most of my books have started out as little ideas planted in my brain when I'm doing a routine task that I turn into something exciting by pretending it's something different.
Milking the goats? It's back in the Medieval Ages and I've been sent on a mission to find the lost princess who is rumored to live as a slave. I work at farms along the way to earn enough food to stay alive.
Cooking? I have a cooking show and I have to explain how the ingredients mix together just right and how the every-day items are going to turn into a masterpiece for the tastebuds.
Cleaning the house with my little brother? We're in a castle and I'm the queen, he's the princess. We're in one of our smaller castles so he can learn the necessary art of menial tasks so he always appreciates his servants who normally perform them. (Plus of course we have to spend along secret messages and make sure to keep the castle safe.)
And I could go on and on. What are some ways you use your imagination?
April 9, 2016
H is for Handcuffs #atozchallenge
Creativity is a lifestyle for me, not an action. This month I'm exploring twenty-six quirky ways I keep my creativity flowing.
The idea came a week ago while at a special event at AWANA. The church had invited one of our local deputies to come in and talk to the kids to remind them that law enforcement officers are our friends and there to help us.
It was pretty cool because the deputy was nice and let any one who wanted get in the squad car and turn on the lights and sirens. Of course I had to give it a try.
Afterward I asked him if I could try on the handcuffs because it seemed like an interesting experience, and he agreed. I ended up wearing the handcuffs until he left, which was about an hour later. During that time I ate and visited like normal. I thought it would be fun to wear them for a whole day, just to see how much I could accomplish, but of course he couldn't part with them for that long.
So, I decided to do my own version of handcuffs. Yesterday I tied my hands together, although for the sake of getting things done, I let myself have twelve inches in-between them, and kept them that way from 10:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m..
It was interesting how even after I untied my hands, when I wanted to get something my first instinct was to reach with both hands, I guess I learned quickly. There were things that were definitely harder with my hands tied together, like gathering up a load of laundry or holding a toddler. And there were also things that were impossible to do, like putting on a sweatshirt (at least the correct way).
All in all, I'm quite happy to have both of my hands and arms in working order and not tied together. It was a fun experience, but I'm ever so glad I don't have to live like that all the time.
The idea came a week ago while at a special event at AWANA. The church had invited one of our local deputies to come in and talk to the kids to remind them that law enforcement officers are our friends and there to help us.
It was pretty cool because the deputy was nice and let any one who wanted get in the squad car and turn on the lights and sirens. Of course I had to give it a try.
Afterward I asked him if I could try on the handcuffs because it seemed like an interesting experience, and he agreed. I ended up wearing the handcuffs until he left, which was about an hour later. During that time I ate and visited like normal. I thought it would be fun to wear them for a whole day, just to see how much I could accomplish, but of course he couldn't part with them for that long.
So, I decided to do my own version of handcuffs. Yesterday I tied my hands together, although for the sake of getting things done, I let myself have twelve inches in-between them, and kept them that way from 10:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m..
It was interesting how even after I untied my hands, when I wanted to get something my first instinct was to reach with both hands, I guess I learned quickly. There were things that were definitely harder with my hands tied together, like gathering up a load of laundry or holding a toddler. And there were also things that were impossible to do, like putting on a sweatshirt (at least the correct way).
All in all, I'm quite happy to have both of my hands and arms in working order and not tied together. It was a fun experience, but I'm ever so glad I don't have to live like that all the time.
April 8, 2016
Around the World in Fifty-Two Weeks Week Fourteen: Bhutan
Hey folks! Happy Friday. This morning I had fun blogging for the A to Z Challenge, and now this evening we get our weekly segment of the fictional story, Around the World in Fifty-Two Weeks. Hopefully this segment won't make you too hungry...
Around the World in Fifty-Two Weeks Week Fourteen: Bhutan
Sophie had to pull some strings and do a bundle of paperwork for me to get into Bhutan, so I didn’t end up leaving Denmark until late Monday night. Throw in a nine hour flight and a four hour time difference and it was 1:30 Tuesday afternoon by the time I had gathered my luggage and was ready to exit the airport in Thimphu, Bhutan. There was a tour guide named CC waiting for me because Bhutan only allowed “official” tourists. I was happy for the change though, that meant I’d simply go along with the flow and not have to make any plans of my own. Since I was an “important guest” (meaning this trip was going to get a lot of news coverage) CC was assigned solely to me for the week. CC was full of information and quite helpful. I had the feeling I could ask her any question about the Kingdom of Bhutan and she’d know the answer. She also had amazingly good English and I was gratified to learn that many people in Bhutan understood at least a little bit of my native language. “Bhutan is called The Land of Thunder Dragons,” CC told me as we boarded a taxi to go to the hotel. “Why?” “Because we have violent thunderstorms that come screeching down the valleys from the Himalayas.” “Thunder Dragons…” I repeated the words. “That sounds pretty cool.” I settled into my lumpy seat the best I could. “Please tell me more about your country.” “Our country is ruled by King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck who is young and very popular. Bhutan as a whole is a country of young people, out of our 700,000 people more than 40% of them are under 16 years of age.” I could hardly wrap my mind around that staggering statistic, but before I could ask about it, CC went on. “Much of our beautiful land is mountainous, and 72% is covered with timber, so you can see we are very environmentally friendly. In fact, for every tree that gets cut down, five more must be planted to replace it. The people of Bhutan have constitutional obligations to protect our environment, and so we all work together.” My mouth was open in surprise. “That’s phenomenal.”
“We are a landlocked country, and are unique in many ways. For instance we don’t have any traffic lights here in Thimphu, even though it’s the capital of Bhutan. We also are home to Gangkhar Puensum, the highest unclimbed mountain in the world.” After we had settled my luggage into my modest and rather shabby hotel room, CC told me she had a surprise for me. I was quite hungry by that time and was hoping her surprise included food. “We are going to my grandmother’s house. She has prepared a meal so you can taste our traditional Bhutanese food and write about it on your blog.” “Thank you.” I felt honored. “That’s very sweet of her.” CC grinned. “I’ll give you a quick lesson on manners on the way over. Bhutanese culture dictates that you must refuse food when it is offered to you.” I opened my mouth to ask why, but CC held up her hand. “You need to say “meshu meshu” and cover your mouth with your hand.” She motioned for me to practice so I tried to say the words. “No, no, more like this.” She pronounced the words more clearly. After several tries she nodded, “That will do. After you’ve repeated the process a couple of times, then you can give in and eat.” “Why do we do that?” It sounded crazy to me. CC shrugged, “I’m not sure. Why do you do any of the things that are traditional for Americans?” Now it was my turn to shrug. We arrived at CC’s grandmother’s house and after proper introductions were made we were ushered to the table and sat down together. I could smell something spicy in the steam rising off of a serving dish in the middle of the table and my mouth began watering. “This is ema datshi, one of our national dishes.” CC gestured at the food. “People say that if you haven’t eaten ema datshi, then you haven’t really been to Bhutan, that’s why we wanted it to be the first thing you experienced.” “Thank you.” “It is spicy, so don’t be surprised.” “Okay.” They served me a bowl full and I drew in a delighted breath of the scent. It was a creamy concoction served on rice and I couldn’t wait to dig in. Per instructions I took a small bite at first. They were right, it was spicy, but oh, so very good. After complimenting CC’s grandma, I asked the dish had in it. “Yellow chilies, yak milk cheese, onions and tomatoes.” I took another small bite, savoring how the flavors melded together. “Do you think it’s possible to make with cheese made from cow’s milk when I get home? And if so would you be willing to teach me how to make it?” The grandma beamed and I knew I had made another friend.
Wednesday CC and I visited the outside of Tashichhoe Dzong, which is a Buddhist monastery and that is on the edge of the city of Thimphu. It was first built by a man named Dharma Raja and was destroyed by fire, earthquakes and other natural disasters several times. It was beautiful though… Impressive and opulent, reminding me of the architecture in China and Mongolia. It is now the government seat of Bhutan and has been since 1986. It has the throne room and the offices of the king, which is so cool. The royal family does not live in the building though. On Thursday we visited the National Museum of Bhutan which was in the town of Paro, about an hour drive from Thimphu. The museum was established in 1968 (which is impressive consider that Bhutan didn’t even have roads, automobiles, phones, a postage system or electricity until the 1960’s!). There are over 3,000 pieces of Bhutanese art at the museum and it is impressively colorful and packed full of history. Friday we went backpacking in the mountains and I was overwhelmed time and time again with all the beauty surrounding us. It was also the perfect weather, not too cold, and not hot enough to make hiking uncomfortable. It made me happy I could visit Asia in the spring time since my trips to China and Mongolia had been in the winter. Saturday I asked to spend the day cooking with CC’s grandmother, and they graciously agreed. I videoed part of the experience and felt like I was a host for a cooking show which was cool. We made Jasha Maroo which is a spicy chicken dish and is served on red rice. It was delicious, albeit a bit spicier than the other food I’d tasted. We also made Phaksha Paa, which is a dish made with pork and red chilies and radishes, ginger, and is very classic for Bhutan. We wanted to make Momos, which are dumplings, but we ran out of time.
By the time Monday morning arrived, I knew it was going to be hard to leave CC and her grandmother. They had both become friends.
Around the World in Fifty-Two Weeks Week Fourteen: Bhutan
Sophie had to pull some strings and do a bundle of paperwork for me to get into Bhutan, so I didn’t end up leaving Denmark until late Monday night. Throw in a nine hour flight and a four hour time difference and it was 1:30 Tuesday afternoon by the time I had gathered my luggage and was ready to exit the airport in Thimphu, Bhutan. There was a tour guide named CC waiting for me because Bhutan only allowed “official” tourists. I was happy for the change though, that meant I’d simply go along with the flow and not have to make any plans of my own. Since I was an “important guest” (meaning this trip was going to get a lot of news coverage) CC was assigned solely to me for the week. CC was full of information and quite helpful. I had the feeling I could ask her any question about the Kingdom of Bhutan and she’d know the answer. She also had amazingly good English and I was gratified to learn that many people in Bhutan understood at least a little bit of my native language. “Bhutan is called The Land of Thunder Dragons,” CC told me as we boarded a taxi to go to the hotel. “Why?” “Because we have violent thunderstorms that come screeching down the valleys from the Himalayas.” “Thunder Dragons…” I repeated the words. “That sounds pretty cool.” I settled into my lumpy seat the best I could. “Please tell me more about your country.” “Our country is ruled by King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck who is young and very popular. Bhutan as a whole is a country of young people, out of our 700,000 people more than 40% of them are under 16 years of age.” I could hardly wrap my mind around that staggering statistic, but before I could ask about it, CC went on. “Much of our beautiful land is mountainous, and 72% is covered with timber, so you can see we are very environmentally friendly. In fact, for every tree that gets cut down, five more must be planted to replace it. The people of Bhutan have constitutional obligations to protect our environment, and so we all work together.” My mouth was open in surprise. “That’s phenomenal.”
“We are a landlocked country, and are unique in many ways. For instance we don’t have any traffic lights here in Thimphu, even though it’s the capital of Bhutan. We also are home to Gangkhar Puensum, the highest unclimbed mountain in the world.” After we had settled my luggage into my modest and rather shabby hotel room, CC told me she had a surprise for me. I was quite hungry by that time and was hoping her surprise included food. “We are going to my grandmother’s house. She has prepared a meal so you can taste our traditional Bhutanese food and write about it on your blog.” “Thank you.” I felt honored. “That’s very sweet of her.” CC grinned. “I’ll give you a quick lesson on manners on the way over. Bhutanese culture dictates that you must refuse food when it is offered to you.” I opened my mouth to ask why, but CC held up her hand. “You need to say “meshu meshu” and cover your mouth with your hand.” She motioned for me to practice so I tried to say the words. “No, no, more like this.” She pronounced the words more clearly. After several tries she nodded, “That will do. After you’ve repeated the process a couple of times, then you can give in and eat.” “Why do we do that?” It sounded crazy to me. CC shrugged, “I’m not sure. Why do you do any of the things that are traditional for Americans?” Now it was my turn to shrug. We arrived at CC’s grandmother’s house and after proper introductions were made we were ushered to the table and sat down together. I could smell something spicy in the steam rising off of a serving dish in the middle of the table and my mouth began watering. “This is ema datshi, one of our national dishes.” CC gestured at the food. “People say that if you haven’t eaten ema datshi, then you haven’t really been to Bhutan, that’s why we wanted it to be the first thing you experienced.” “Thank you.” “It is spicy, so don’t be surprised.” “Okay.” They served me a bowl full and I drew in a delighted breath of the scent. It was a creamy concoction served on rice and I couldn’t wait to dig in. Per instructions I took a small bite at first. They were right, it was spicy, but oh, so very good. After complimenting CC’s grandma, I asked the dish had in it. “Yellow chilies, yak milk cheese, onions and tomatoes.” I took another small bite, savoring how the flavors melded together. “Do you think it’s possible to make with cheese made from cow’s milk when I get home? And if so would you be willing to teach me how to make it?” The grandma beamed and I knew I had made another friend.
Wednesday CC and I visited the outside of Tashichhoe Dzong, which is a Buddhist monastery and that is on the edge of the city of Thimphu. It was first built by a man named Dharma Raja and was destroyed by fire, earthquakes and other natural disasters several times. It was beautiful though… Impressive and opulent, reminding me of the architecture in China and Mongolia. It is now the government seat of Bhutan and has been since 1986. It has the throne room and the offices of the king, which is so cool. The royal family does not live in the building though. On Thursday we visited the National Museum of Bhutan which was in the town of Paro, about an hour drive from Thimphu. The museum was established in 1968 (which is impressive consider that Bhutan didn’t even have roads, automobiles, phones, a postage system or electricity until the 1960’s!). There are over 3,000 pieces of Bhutanese art at the museum and it is impressively colorful and packed full of history. Friday we went backpacking in the mountains and I was overwhelmed time and time again with all the beauty surrounding us. It was also the perfect weather, not too cold, and not hot enough to make hiking uncomfortable. It made me happy I could visit Asia in the spring time since my trips to China and Mongolia had been in the winter. Saturday I asked to spend the day cooking with CC’s grandmother, and they graciously agreed. I videoed part of the experience and felt like I was a host for a cooking show which was cool. We made Jasha Maroo which is a spicy chicken dish and is served on red rice. It was delicious, albeit a bit spicier than the other food I’d tasted. We also made Phaksha Paa, which is a dish made with pork and red chilies and radishes, ginger, and is very classic for Bhutan. We wanted to make Momos, which are dumplings, but we ran out of time.
By the time Monday morning arrived, I knew it was going to be hard to leave CC and her grandmother. They had both become friends.
G is for Game #atozchallenge
Creativity is a lifestyle for me, not an action. This month I'm exploring twenty-six quirky ways I keep my creativity flowing.
I've wanted to invent my own board game for a while now but once I committed myself to the task I realized I had no clue how to proceed. So I did the first thing I would do when beginning a new book:
I got out a paper and pen and began brainstorming. I thought about things I enjoy in life: Cooking. Books. Traveling. And then I stopped because I already had an idea forming. I crossed out cooking and started focusing on the books and traveling. The game could be in the medieval ages and people would travel around trading books to build up their library!
As much as I liked that idea, there were several conflicts that presented themselves and so as I proceeded, I tweaked the idea a bit. Eventually Book Quest was born and it takes place in modern times instead of the medieval ages, but the goal is still build up a personal library.
The game consists of 177 "Books" (blue cards), 31 Quests (brown cards), and 27 Plot Twist (green cards), 15 "Bookshelf" and "Library" cards, 144 "coins" in denominations of 5, 10, 20, 25, and 30, 1 board, 1 dice, and 4 game pieces.
Everyone starts out with 10 Books and 2 Quests and 15 coins. The goal of the game is to gather as many Books as you can through buying, trading, and earning. The Quests tell you which Books to try and collect. Some examples of the Quests are: Collect 15 books who's author's name begins with "J" or Collect 12 Classics or Collect 5 books that have 3 words in the title.
There are also Plot Twists which are always good for the person who owns them, but not necessarily for the other game players (they might have to give up one of their Books). Players can earn, buy, or land on a Plot Twist.
Players rolls twice each turn and different numbers mean different things. For instance, if you roll a 1 and then a 3 you ignore the second roll and move forward 1 space on the board, but if you roll a 1 twice in a row, then you receive a Plot Twist instead of moving forward.
If you land on a square that requires you to buy something or pay a fine and you don't have the money, you have to sell Books until you can pay. Each book costs 10 coins from the bank and when you sell them back to the bank, you only get half of that money back... Unless you're selling a Classic, then you do an auction to see how much they're worth. You roll the dice and receive 5 coins for each dot on the dice, so if you roll a 5 you get 25 coins.
I'm not quite done with figuring out the point system, but my brother and I played the game and got most of the kinks worked out, then my sister and I tried it and had fun as well.
Of course I needed to have game pieces, so I took some of my bakeable clay and fashioned little books. I also laminated all of the game cards and money so that they'd endure longer. It took a fair amount of time to figure out and create the game, but it was well worth it. The problem solving and brainstorming really made my brain switch channels and work at coming up with new ways of being creative and I thoroughly enjoyed the process.
Now I'm thinking maybe I should do this more often...
* * *
Have you ever created a board game? Does it sound like fun to you? And what about Book Quest? Does it sound like a game you'd like to play?
I've wanted to invent my own board game for a while now but once I committed myself to the task I realized I had no clue how to proceed. So I did the first thing I would do when beginning a new book:
I got out a paper and pen and began brainstorming. I thought about things I enjoy in life: Cooking. Books. Traveling. And then I stopped because I already had an idea forming. I crossed out cooking and started focusing on the books and traveling. The game could be in the medieval ages and people would travel around trading books to build up their library!
As much as I liked that idea, there were several conflicts that presented themselves and so as I proceeded, I tweaked the idea a bit. Eventually Book Quest was born and it takes place in modern times instead of the medieval ages, but the goal is still build up a personal library.
The game consists of 177 "Books" (blue cards), 31 Quests (brown cards), and 27 Plot Twist (green cards), 15 "Bookshelf" and "Library" cards, 144 "coins" in denominations of 5, 10, 20, 25, and 30, 1 board, 1 dice, and 4 game pieces.
Everyone starts out with 10 Books and 2 Quests and 15 coins. The goal of the game is to gather as many Books as you can through buying, trading, and earning. The Quests tell you which Books to try and collect. Some examples of the Quests are: Collect 15 books who's author's name begins with "J" or Collect 12 Classics or Collect 5 books that have 3 words in the title.
There are also Plot Twists which are always good for the person who owns them, but not necessarily for the other game players (they might have to give up one of their Books). Players can earn, buy, or land on a Plot Twist.
Players rolls twice each turn and different numbers mean different things. For instance, if you roll a 1 and then a 3 you ignore the second roll and move forward 1 space on the board, but if you roll a 1 twice in a row, then you receive a Plot Twist instead of moving forward.
If you land on a square that requires you to buy something or pay a fine and you don't have the money, you have to sell Books until you can pay. Each book costs 10 coins from the bank and when you sell them back to the bank, you only get half of that money back... Unless you're selling a Classic, then you do an auction to see how much they're worth. You roll the dice and receive 5 coins for each dot on the dice, so if you roll a 5 you get 25 coins.
I'm not quite done with figuring out the point system, but my brother and I played the game and got most of the kinks worked out, then my sister and I tried it and had fun as well.
Of course I needed to have game pieces, so I took some of my bakeable clay and fashioned little books. I also laminated all of the game cards and money so that they'd endure longer. It took a fair amount of time to figure out and create the game, but it was well worth it. The problem solving and brainstorming really made my brain switch channels and work at coming up with new ways of being creative and I thoroughly enjoyed the process.
Now I'm thinking maybe I should do this more often...
* * *
Have you ever created a board game? Does it sound like fun to you? And what about Book Quest? Does it sound like a game you'd like to play?
April 7, 2016
F is for Friendly #atozchallenge
Creativity is a lifestyle for me, not an action. This month I'm exploring twenty-six quirky ways I keep my creativity flowing.
Meeting new people is a great way to expand your creativity. Often times when I'm at an event or visiting friends I make it a point to be friendly and introduce myself to strangers. I've discovered that each person has a unique point of view when it comes to life and trying to see the world from another person's perspective is enlightening.
There are also some situations where carrying on a conversation with a newly-met person can stretch my creative powers as I try and figure out what lanes of topic will engage them. If all else fails, then I have the habit of randomly telling them interesting facts, because those are an unceasing source of amusement to me.
Being friendly sometimes takes creativity and sometimes adds to my bank of creativity, but overall, I find people to be quite inspiring and amusing.
* * *
What about you? Do you find that strangers spark creativity in you?
Meeting new people is a great way to expand your creativity. Often times when I'm at an event or visiting friends I make it a point to be friendly and introduce myself to strangers. I've discovered that each person has a unique point of view when it comes to life and trying to see the world from another person's perspective is enlightening.
There are also some situations where carrying on a conversation with a newly-met person can stretch my creative powers as I try and figure out what lanes of topic will engage them. If all else fails, then I have the habit of randomly telling them interesting facts, because those are an unceasing source of amusement to me.
Being friendly sometimes takes creativity and sometimes adds to my bank of creativity, but overall, I find people to be quite inspiring and amusing.
* * *
What about you? Do you find that strangers spark creativity in you?
WLHYL Update & Snippets
This weekend marks the first anniversary of when I finished the first 150,000 word draft of When Life Hands You Lymes. I can still picture exactly where I was when I typed those two words, The End, and closed my laptop with a satisfying thud.
It was August before I started into the edits in earnest, and other than taking November off to do NaNoWriMo, I've worked fairly steadily for the last nine months at crafting WLHYL into a real book instead of a rough draft.
I've cut out nearly 52,000 words already, wiggled the plot around, added a new character, changed the direction of another character, and learned a ton about writing and editing and books in general. Madalyn's story is one that has become quite familiar to me and sometimes it feels like we're old friends.
I'm currently going through the second half of When Life Hands You Lymes (the part that was going to be the sequel), and despite it being wordy, I'm having a lot of fun. These edits are the first time I'm going through and rereading this part of the book, and the characters are actually quite amusing.
Darrick, who is the main character's brother, will probably forever remain one of my favorite characters. He doesn't alway say and do the right thing, but he does try and which I think is very commendable. I also enjoy the banter that goes on between him, Madalyn (the main character), and Julia, Madalyn's best friend.
Here are a few snippets for y'all to enjoy:
Snippet #1:
“I’m not sure if I’ll enter the contest after all.” I didn’t turn around to look at Julia. I knew she’d be hosting a death glare.
“How in the world can you say that?” Julia took my shoulders and spun me around. She’s shorter than me, but a lot stronger. “You need to stop over-thinking this and stop worrying about it and just finish up your song so you can enter it.”
“So you’ve said already.”
“I have news for you.” Julia looked angry. “Every single time you stall with your music I’m going to give you the same speech. Hopefully one day it will finally enter your thick skull and make some kind of dent on your brain so you start believing it.”
“Sounds like rays of sunshine in here.” Darrick entered the room and his eyes widened when he saw Julia standing on her tip toes practically shouting in my face. “I always love it when I walk in a room and hear people talking about denting their best friend’s brain.”
“She doesn’t want to enter her song in the contest.” Julia crossed her arms and turned to Darrick. “So, if you’re going to help me talk some sense into her you’re welcome to stay. If not, I think I might hear someone calling your name in Grant.”
“What’s going on Madds?”
“I’m freaking out.”
“Is that new?” Darrick asked.
“You’re not helping.” Julia glared at Darrick.
“Last I checked I’ve been Madalyn’s brother all my life.” Darrick’s words were soft; Julia took the hint, nodded at him, and took a few steps back.
Snippet #2:
Darrick walked into the office and glanced around. “Are my eyes deceiving me or is it true that not no one's working?”
“We’re taking a break.” I stretched. “I filed the rest of the progress reports for Dad, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“Me, worried? Darrick shook his head. “I don’t worry.”
“Good for you. Now am I missing something or are you standing there not working?”
“Just taking a little break to chat with my favorite younger sister.”
“I feel honored.”
Snippet #3:
“Am I the only one mildly freaking out here?” Julia asked.
“You won’t be if you don’t settle down.” Julia’s pacing was getting on my nerves. “You do realize nothing is accomplished by walking back and forth over the same stretch of carpet for twenty minutes straight, right?”
“If I sit down, Madalyn, I am going to explode.”
I grimaced. “The carpet was just cleaned.”
“There’s this thing called tact.” Julia continued pacing.
“Let me guess, it’s a little sharp object used to poke annoying people who won’t calm down?” I hid a grin as Julia narrowed her eyes at me.
“That is a tack. Tact, on the other hand, is a very needed element in anyone’s life if they want to survive socially.”
“Oh, I get it.” I nodded. “You’re wondering if I could give you lessons on how to be tactful?”
Julia groaned.
“Lesson number one, if your best friend tells you they might explode, don’t mention the carpet.” I gestured at the floor. “It gives the impression that you’re more concerned about the carpet than you are about them.”
“Can you believe I’m actually nervous?”
“About getting the carpet messy?” I shrugged. “Just don’t explode and you’ll be fine.”
“Can you just be serious for a minute?” Julia flopped herself onto our bed.
“One-one-thousand. Two-one-thousand. Three-one-thousand.” I glanced out the window as I continue counting.
“What are you doing?” Julia glared at me.
“I’m working on being serious for a minute. Sixteen-one-thousand. Seventeen-one-thousand.” “You’re incorrigible.” Julia growled out the words.
“Thank you. I’ve always wanted to be encouraging to someone.”
* * *
Which character sounds like the most fun to you? Darrick, Julia, or Madalyn?
It was August before I started into the edits in earnest, and other than taking November off to do NaNoWriMo, I've worked fairly steadily for the last nine months at crafting WLHYL into a real book instead of a rough draft.
I've cut out nearly 52,000 words already, wiggled the plot around, added a new character, changed the direction of another character, and learned a ton about writing and editing and books in general. Madalyn's story is one that has become quite familiar to me and sometimes it feels like we're old friends.
I'm currently going through the second half of When Life Hands You Lymes (the part that was going to be the sequel), and despite it being wordy, I'm having a lot of fun. These edits are the first time I'm going through and rereading this part of the book, and the characters are actually quite amusing.
Darrick, who is the main character's brother, will probably forever remain one of my favorite characters. He doesn't alway say and do the right thing, but he does try and which I think is very commendable. I also enjoy the banter that goes on between him, Madalyn (the main character), and Julia, Madalyn's best friend.
Here are a few snippets for y'all to enjoy:
Snippet #1:
“I’m not sure if I’ll enter the contest after all.” I didn’t turn around to look at Julia. I knew she’d be hosting a death glare.
“How in the world can you say that?” Julia took my shoulders and spun me around. She’s shorter than me, but a lot stronger. “You need to stop over-thinking this and stop worrying about it and just finish up your song so you can enter it.”
“So you’ve said already.”
“I have news for you.” Julia looked angry. “Every single time you stall with your music I’m going to give you the same speech. Hopefully one day it will finally enter your thick skull and make some kind of dent on your brain so you start believing it.”
“Sounds like rays of sunshine in here.” Darrick entered the room and his eyes widened when he saw Julia standing on her tip toes practically shouting in my face. “I always love it when I walk in a room and hear people talking about denting their best friend’s brain.”
“She doesn’t want to enter her song in the contest.” Julia crossed her arms and turned to Darrick. “So, if you’re going to help me talk some sense into her you’re welcome to stay. If not, I think I might hear someone calling your name in Grant.”
“What’s going on Madds?”
“I’m freaking out.”
“Is that new?” Darrick asked.
“You’re not helping.” Julia glared at Darrick.
“Last I checked I’ve been Madalyn’s brother all my life.” Darrick’s words were soft; Julia took the hint, nodded at him, and took a few steps back.
Snippet #2:
Darrick walked into the office and glanced around. “Are my eyes deceiving me or is it true that not no one's working?”
“We’re taking a break.” I stretched. “I filed the rest of the progress reports for Dad, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“Me, worried? Darrick shook his head. “I don’t worry.”
“Good for you. Now am I missing something or are you standing there not working?”
“Just taking a little break to chat with my favorite younger sister.”
“I feel honored.”
Snippet #3:
“Am I the only one mildly freaking out here?” Julia asked.
“You won’t be if you don’t settle down.” Julia’s pacing was getting on my nerves. “You do realize nothing is accomplished by walking back and forth over the same stretch of carpet for twenty minutes straight, right?”
“If I sit down, Madalyn, I am going to explode.”
I grimaced. “The carpet was just cleaned.”
“There’s this thing called tact.” Julia continued pacing.
“Let me guess, it’s a little sharp object used to poke annoying people who won’t calm down?” I hid a grin as Julia narrowed her eyes at me.
“That is a tack. Tact, on the other hand, is a very needed element in anyone’s life if they want to survive socially.”
“Oh, I get it.” I nodded. “You’re wondering if I could give you lessons on how to be tactful?”
Julia groaned.
“Lesson number one, if your best friend tells you they might explode, don’t mention the carpet.” I gestured at the floor. “It gives the impression that you’re more concerned about the carpet than you are about them.”
“Can you believe I’m actually nervous?”
“About getting the carpet messy?” I shrugged. “Just don’t explode and you’ll be fine.”
“Can you just be serious for a minute?” Julia flopped herself onto our bed.
“One-one-thousand. Two-one-thousand. Three-one-thousand.” I glanced out the window as I continue counting.
“What are you doing?” Julia glared at me.
“I’m working on being serious for a minute. Sixteen-one-thousand. Seventeen-one-thousand.” “You’re incorrigible.” Julia growled out the words.
“Thank you. I’ve always wanted to be encouraging to someone.”
* * *
Which character sounds like the most fun to you? Darrick, Julia, or Madalyn?
April 6, 2016
E is for The Email Game #atozchallenge
Creativity is a lifestyle for me, not an action. This month I'm exploring twenty-six quirky ways I keep my creativity flowing.
Sometimes when I'm answering emails I decide to get creative and play the Email Game. I invented this game for several reasons, one of the biggest is because I have a habit of rambling in emails. Plus the game helps my editing skills.
The Email Game Example: Jane Doe and you are in an email conversation. Her latest email contains 156 words. Your reply contains 195 words. It's your job to edit and re-write your email until it contains no more than 156 words, and bonus points if you can get below 156. It's that simple.
* * *
Have you ever played a version of this email game? I've sometimes wondered if the email recipients notice the copy-cat lengths of emails... Do you think you'd notice?
Sometimes when I'm answering emails I decide to get creative and play the Email Game. I invented this game for several reasons, one of the biggest is because I have a habit of rambling in emails. Plus the game helps my editing skills.
The Email Game Example: Jane Doe and you are in an email conversation. Her latest email contains 156 words. Your reply contains 195 words. It's your job to edit and re-write your email until it contains no more than 156 words, and bonus points if you can get below 156. It's that simple.
* * *
Have you ever played a version of this email game? I've sometimes wondered if the email recipients notice the copy-cat lengths of emails... Do you think you'd notice?
