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A Life Less Ordinary

Category: Writing (page 8 of 11)

IWSG Writing Update August 2018 – No Memoir Progress

July 31, 2018 / / 60 Comments

Every first Wednesday of the month, the IWSG (Insecure Writer’s Support Group) engages writers to share their fears, thoughts, progress, struggles, excitement, encouragement, or anything really, about their writing. A different question is posed each month, as a writing prompt for IWSG members. Answering it is optional. For August, the question is: “What pitfalls would you warn other writers to avoid on their publication journey?”

This amazing, supportive group of writers was founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. Today, the co-hosts are Erika Beebe, Sandra Hoover, Susan Gourley, and Lee Lowery. Feel free to swing by their sites and see what they’re up to.

My answer to the question (“What pitfalls would you warn other writers to avoid on their publication journey?“)

I have no experience publishing books, so I can’t report on any pitfalls about that process (yet). When it comes to publishing articles, I highly recommend reading the writer guidelines for the magazines you want to submit to, be courteous, professional, and communicative, and stick to the given deadlines. Not following these common-sense rules could turn into pitfalls. Continue reading

IWSG Writing Update July 2018 – In the Hands of Beta Readers

July 3, 2018 / / 51 Comments

Every first Wednesday of the month, except this month due to tomorrow being July 4th – Independence Day in the US, the IWSG (Insecure Writer’s Support Group) engages writers to share their fears, thoughts, progress, struggles, excitement, encouragement, or anything really, about their writing. A different question is posed each month, as a writing prompt. Answering it is optional. For July, the question is: “What are your ultimate writing goals, and how have they changed over time (if at all)?”

This amazing, supportive group of writers was founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. Today, the co-hosts are Nicki Elson,Juneta Key, Tamara Narayan, and Patricia Lynne. Feel free to swing by their sites and see what they’re up to.

My answer to the question (“What are your ultimate writing goals, and how have they changed over time (if at all)?”)

When I was younger, I wrote for pleasure. It was an urge, it was natural, a part of my every day – document my experiences in diaries, letters to family, and later email reports in Dutch and English for whoever was interested. Giant parts of my life consisted of travel. My first blog, It’s Irie, replaced these reports. Writing was about informing others how things were going, wherever I was, and what the world looked like. Another goal was to have my writing in one place for the future. Whenever I’d retire, I’d be bored and happily reread all these stories, I thought.

My childhood desk in Belgium is not getting much use during this visit.

Continue reading

IWSG Writing Update June 2018 – Finished Draft Three

June 6, 2018 / / 63 Comments

Every first Wednesday of the month, the IWSG (Insecure Writer’s Support Group) engages writers to share their fears, thoughts, progress, struggles, excitement, encouragement, or anything really, about their writing. A different question is posed each month, as a writing prompt for IWSG members. Answering it is optional. For June, the question is: “What’s harder for you to come up with, book titles or character names?”

This amazing, supportive group of writers was founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. Today, the co-hosts are Beverly Stowe McClure,Tyrean Martinson,Tonja Drecker, and Ellen @ The Cynical Sailor. Feel free to swing by their sites and see what they’re up to.

My answer to the question (“What’s harder for you to come up with, book titles or character names?”)

This month’s question is easy to answer. Since I’ve only written non-fiction stories and I’m working on my first memoir, the names of my characters are their real-life names. I do plan to contact these people, and if they want pseudonyms, they can send me suggestions as replacements. So, book titles are the hardest thing to come up with for me. And, to be honest, after years of working on my memoir, I still haven’t decided on its title. So many possibilities…

My book progress

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IWSG Writing Update May 2018 – Finished Draft Two

May 2, 2018 / / 74 Comments

Every first Wednesday of the month, the IWSG (Insecure Writer’s Support Group) engages writers to share their fears, thoughts, progress, struggles, excitement, encouragement, or anything really, about their writing. A different question is posed each month, as a writing prompt for IWSG members. Answering it is optional. For May, the question is: “It’s spring! Does this season inspire you to write more than others, or not?”

This amazing, supportive group of writers was founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. Today, the co-hosts are  E.M.A. Timar, J. Q. Rose, C.Lee McKenzie, and Raimey Gallant. Feel free to swing by their sites and see what they’re up to.

My answer to the question (“It’s spring! Does this season inspire you to write more than others, or not?”)

No, unless the weather is rainy, cold, or windy (like now). If any season inspires me to write more, it’s winter. Not because I like that time of the year, on the contrary. I prefer a sunny, warm climate, making summer my favorite. But, winter weather is the perfect excuse to sit behind the computer and be productive. So, as you might expect, summer and its outdoor activities are a major distraction from getting any writing done.

Cutie!
Visiting an alpaca farm by bike
Close and personal

My book progress

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IWSG Writing Update April 2018 – Revising Draft One

April 4, 2018 / / 57 Comments

Every first Wednesday of the month, the IWSG (Insecure Writer’s Support Group) engages writers to share their fears, thoughts, progress, struggles, excitement, encouragement or anything really about their writing. A different question is posed each month, as a writing prompt for IWSG members. Answering it is optional. For April, the question is “When your writing life is a bit cloudy or filled with rain, what do you do to dig down and keep on writing?”

This amazing, supportive group of writers was founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. Today, the co-hosts are  Olga Godim, Chemist Ken, Renee Scattergood, and Tamara Narayan. Feel free to swing by their sites and see what they’re up to.

My answer to the question (“When your writing life is a bit cloudy or filled with rain, what do you do to dig down and keep on writing?”)

Unlike many other IWSG members, writing is not my career. One could argue I write full-time (when not traveling), but only if you add blog posts, translations, emails, blog comments, interviews, articles and diary entries to working on my first non-fiction book. Because of the other commitments in my life (mostly related to our business, jobs and house sits), I look forward to every block of time I can commit to my memoir and therefore I’m rarely stuck. This doesn’t mean I know what I’m doing.

I enjoy the writing and editing process and have no problem to “keep on writing,” since my brain (and life) is filled with stories and adventures. Where I do get stuck is deciding which parts/sections/themes/stories to keep in the book, and how to delete half of my first draft. It seems impossible, and creating a two-part memoir is probably not a good solution. (Has this ever been done?) When despair sets in, it is helpful to talk about my book to my husband or best friend, read up on the writing craft, or go for a walk in nature to air my brain.

Hike in Eldorado Hills, close to our current home in Santa Fe

My book progress

The year 2018 keeps progressing in its determined fast fashion. This is how my March looked like: Continue reading

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – The Open House Sunday Interview – Freelance travel writer and photographer Liesbet Collaert

March 18, 2018 / / 10 Comments

via Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – The Open House Sunday Interview – Freelance travel writer and photographer Liesbet Collaert

This weekend, I am honored to be a guest on Sally Cronin’s blog Smorgasbord – Variety is the Spice of Life. 

Please, have a look at my interview, and leave a comment there, if you’d like!

My guest today is Liesbet Collaert who has a lifestyle that is very different to those of us who rarely stir from our comfort zones, except for the odd couple of weeks holiday.

Let’s find out more about Liesbet before finding out Belgium, her favourite leisure pastimes, the impact of modern technology and the five experiences we should all tick off our bucket list. Liesbet also shares some of her photographs from her travels which will certainly create wanderlust in most of us.

Continue reading here.

 

IWSG Writing Update March 2018 – Chapter by Chapter

March 7, 2018 / / 48 Comments

Every first Wednesday of the month, the IWSG (Insecure Writer’s Support Group) engages writers to share their fears, thoughts, progress, struggles, excitement, encouragement or anything really about their writing. A different question is posed each month, as a writing prompt for IWSG members. Answering it is optional. For March, the question is “How do you celebrate when you achieve a writing goal / finish a story?”

This amazing, supportive group of writers was founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. Today, the co-hosts are  Mary Aalgaard, Bish Denham, Jennifer Hawes, Diane Burton, and Gwen Gardner. Feel free to swing by their sites.

My answer to the question (“How do you celebrate when you achieve a writing goal / finish a story?”)

I’m not a big celebrator.  My husband and I celebrate birthdays. And Thanksgiving, based on our location. Oh, we did toast to Neptune when we crossed the equator on our sailboat Irie in 2013, with rum and coke and Belgian chocolate. R&C for Mark, a shot of rum for Neptune, and just coke for me, since I was on watch. That being said, whenever I achieve a milestone in my writing (as in: finish my memoir), I’ll be sure to celebrate!

Crossing the equator on the way to the Galapagos Islands
Mark and Liesbet on the equator
Celebratory drinks and chocolates (truffles)

My book progress

I have no idea what is happening in 2018, but a giant creature from outer space must have descended upon earth and devoured January and February, because, all of a sudden, those months are gone.  This is how my February looked like: Continue reading

IWSG Writing Update February 2018 – The Editing Process

February 7, 2018 / / 61 Comments

Every first Wednesday of the month, the IWSG (Insecure Writer’s Support Group) encourages writers to share their fears, thoughts, progress, struggles, excitement, encouragement or anything really about their writing. A different question is posed each month, as a writing prompt for IWSG members. Answering it is optional. For February, the question is “What do you love about the genre you write in most often?”

This amazing, supportive group of writers was founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. Today, the co-hosts are Stephen Tremp, Pat Garcia, Angela Wooldridge, Victoria Marie Lees, and Madeline Mora-Summonte. Feel free to swing by their sites and see what they are up to.

My answer to the question

I have only written in one genre so far: non-fiction. My published articles had to do with the sailing life and living aboard our 35ft catamaran Irie for eight years. Other than the joy of leafing through my work in print and making an extra buck, I love sharing my stories and photos with readers, while at the same time encouraging them to live a life less ordinary.

I don’t like research, so the thing I love most when working on my current memoir is recalling all the memories and reproducing these real-life stories in a compelling manner. Continue reading

IWSG Writing Update January 2018 – New Intentions

January 3, 2018 / / 53 Comments

Every first Wednesday of the month, the IWSG (Insecure Writer’s Support Group) encourages writers to share their fears, thoughts, progress, struggles, excitement, encouragement or anything really about their writing. A different question is posed each month, as a writing prompt for IWSG members. Answering it is optional. For January, the question is “What steps have you taken or plan to take to put a schedule in place for your writing and publishing?”

This amazing, supportive group of writers was founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. Today, the co-hosts are Tyrean Martinson, Ellen @ The Cynical Sailor,Megan Morgan, Jennifer Lane, and Rachna Chhabria. Feel free to swing by their sites and see what they are up to.

My answer to the question

I haven’t taken any steps, made any resolutions or put any writing goals in place yet. As a matter of fact, I have barely been able to think about the end of 2017 and new beginnings in 2018. I am way behind with my blogs, emails and any other writing, but as January unfolds, I hope to get going again. If circumstances allow.

Work in progress

The IWSG question of this month “forces” me to think about what I want to achieve, realistically, in the new year. Ideally, I write every morning in my memoir – the second draft that is – and save all other work, tasks and chores for the afternoons. In the past, this has been tough, so I assume I will need to readjust my focus. Sternly. I do hope to finish my memoir and, if at all possible, publish it in 2018. It is now or never!

Continue reading

IWSG Writing Update December 2017 – Finished First Draft

December 6, 2017 / / 70 Comments

Every first Wednesday of the month, the IWSG (Insecure Writer’s Support Group) encourages writers to share their fears, thoughts, progress, struggles, excitement, encouragement or anything really about their writing. A different question is posed each month, as a writing prompt for IWSG members. Answering it is optional. For December, the question is “As you look back on 2017, with all its successes and failures, if you could backtrack, what would you do differently?”

This amazing, supportive group of writers was founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. Today, the co-hosts are Julie Flanders, Shannon Lawrence, Fundy Blue, and Heather Gardner. Feel free to swing by their sites and see what they are up to.

My answer to the question

I am a woman of few regrets, living my alternative life quite deliberately, so this is a tough question. On hindsight, we probably would all do things slightly different, because we are wiser now. But, I don’t want to feel bad about the decisions I make. Those are sometimes hard enough. When it comes to my writing focus in 2017, of course I hoped to work on my memoir more. I do write all day, every day – emails, diaries, blogs, comments, chapters, articles, notes, business documents, translations, reviews – but I wish I could have removed myself from social media and all the “unimportant” scribbles, to make more room for writing in my book. Continue reading

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