A New Year's Gift from Dotti

Happy New Year… and welcome to another twelve months in the life of Aussie authors, here at Christian Writers Downunder. There’s much to look forward to as the year cranks into gear. Before we know it, the lazy days of summer will shift to familiar routines. School terms will shape the months for many of us, and even those who don’t march to the school bell will faithfully follow their schedules.

I’m a creature of habit. I love routine. I like to see the diary pages coloured in the predictable, with just enough white paper for a few surprises to sneak in.

Some days, though, I find myself stuck. Held back not by busyness or opportunity, but by inspiration. The calendar says I must write a blog post, but there’s nothing in my head or heart for it.  

Last March, I followed a list of prompts by Fat Mum Slim. She releases a monthly photography challenge and it hooked me at first glance.

I took on the challenge, and turned it into my blogging inspiration. For every picture I took, I wrote a blog post to fit with my love of all things romantic and old fashioned. As inspiration, it worked a treat. I had no trouble coming up with a blog post for 31 days straight, as the topic for each day bubbled away in my head, thanks to Fat Mum Slim’s list.

And I’ve been wondering how to make use of such prodding ever since. 

If you’re like me, stuck for blogging inspiration on occasion, I may have something for you. A gift, for the New Year. 

In 2013 I’m introducing a topic on my blog, Ink Dots, for each Friday of the year called 52 Steps to Yesteryear. I’ve plotted my topics right through to year’s end, and you’re invited to come along. You don’t need to be besotted by all things old, the way I am. All you need is a writer’s imagination.

Less daunting than a monthly challenge, this game is on only once a week. If Fridays come too soon and you’re not sure what to write, take my prompt and turn it into something incredible for next week. Write the first 300 words which come to mind. Imagine the myriad of thoughts we could share, all stemming from the one prompt, as various and flavoursome as the offerings in an ice-cream shop window. You can load them to your blog and I’ll have a linky button set up by next week for you to share them at Ink Dots as well.

I launched my 52 Steps to Yesteryear today. I’m hoping it’ll be a fun way to travel the new year together. I hope you’ll join me for inspiration with a dash of nostalgia and the occasional rosy ribbon of romance at Ink Dots. 

*****

Dorothy Adamek lives at Crabapple House with her Beloved, their three teenagers and five pampered backyard chickens. She writes historical romance, Aussie style. Follow her love of all thing yesteryear at Ink Dots.

Who Can Blame Me?

I'm a first born. 

In the main, I follow rules and find more than a little angst prickles my nerves when others do not. So I guess while I've made my generous share of mistakes in this life, most of them have come from bad judgement, rather than rule bending. 

But I'm here to confess the rebelliousness of my childhood, sprouted from the deep pull to read when I was not supposed to. And to confess it still occurs. 

1. I confess... As a little girl, I repeatedly read in church, even when my Dad stood at the pulpit delivering a well crafted sermon. I smuggled books in and let my mind wander far from Sunday morning services in the late 1970s... to the early 1800s when Mary Jones remarkably sought her own copy of the Bible. I confess escaping with Mary to the 1800s more than once, when I should have been firmly seated in the psychedelic era. But who can blame a little girl with a good book in her grip? 

2.  I confess... I repeatedly read in the back seat of the car. At night. Even when my parents told me I'd ruin my vision. (I now wear contacts AND use reading glasses at the same time, so yeah.... they were right). I'd wait for the rhythmic flash of a street light, hold my book just so, and sneak in a line every few beats of the journey home. And who can blame a transfixed little girl with a good book in her grip? 

3. I confess... I repeatedly read in bed. Hours after I promised my mother the just to the end of the chapter lie. I figured a fabulous page turner erased all my good intentions. How could I not honour the writer and their wordsmith mastery? And who can blame a wide-awake little girl with a good book in her grip? 

4. And finally, I confess... I repeatedly read in school, with a fresh book hidden under the desk. When my favourite English teacher asked me about the themes of Schindler's Ark, I was too busy with Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant to offer a coherent answer. I fumbled my way through the wrong one, and she later pulled me aside to apologise for putting me on the spot. She knew how easily I faded into a story... and sent me back there with her blessing. (Good soul/best teacher ever - understood the passion of a reader better than anyone!) 

And so on ... and so on... Until adulthood. Where I've been known to read in places and times when a grownup should know better. But who can blame an English teacher and fiction writer, with a good book in her hand, and plenty more simmering in her heart? Certainly not those who share the same affliction.

 

Anyone else game enough to confess? Where and when have you read a book you couldn't put down?

***

Dorothy Adamek lives at Crabapple House with her Beloved, their three teenagers and five pampered backyard chickens. She writes historical romance, Aussie style. Follow her love of all thing yesteryear at Ink Dots. 

Regrets?

Last summer, whilst browsing in an antique shop, I stumbled across this book. Dorothy's Difficulties. It made me laugh - enough to dig my phone out and take a picture. I thought it might inspire a blog post... someday.

Fast forward to now... and I regret walking away without buying that book. It's pretty, it's vintage style and how cute would this have looked on my shelf? Really, what was I thinking to leave it behind? 

An olde worlde book with my name on it? 

Someone slap me. 

Ok, not too hard, because this week, I've had my own generous dose of difficulties. A bucket full. One of those jumbo sized troughs people use to wash small elephants. So, a book like this might have come in handy. 

Not to add my difficulties to the ones our heroine already has. But perhaps, I may have glued in a few blank pages here and there. So I could hold onto the words whispered to me by dear friends and God himself.

Because difficulties were never meant to stay bound in books. All alone. They're meant to be delivered to God, as cares only He can hold. And in return, He delivers words to raise us up and cheer us on. 

Words like these from my reading in Galatians. Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. So then, while we have opportunity let us do good to all the people and especially to those who are in the household of faith. Gal 6:9

Yes, I regret not buying that book. For one who can hardly walk out of a thrift store empty handed, I can't believe I turned my back on Dorothy's Difficulties. But I can always hand my own storms over to the One who calms and encourages. For every difficulty I surrender, He has a word of comfort.  

That, is something I can never regret. 

(But, why oh why did I not buy that cool book?) 

***

What wonderful finds do you wish you'd taken to the counter? Are there any books you regret not buying when you had the chance?

Blessings for a wonderful weekend, dear friends,

May you know God's words of comfort and deliverance,

Dotti 

***

Dorothy Adamek lives at Crabapple House with her Beloved, their three teenagers and five pampered backyard chickens. She writes historical romance, Aussie style. Follow her love of all thing yesteryear at Ink Dots.

Writing Whispers

The best time for planning a book is while you're doing the dishes.  

Agatha Christie

The Scullery Maid by Guiseppe Maria Crespi

Or... hanging the washing, or driving the kids to school, or mopping the bathroom floor. 

Wonderful ideas have a habit of arriving when we're up to our elbows in dish water or at the traffic lights. This is when a little preparation allows the capture of inspiration. So what do you do when you don't have your trusty writer's notepad beside you?

1. Scratch it down. If it means stepping away from the sink for a moment and scribbling an idea onto a scrap of paper, it's worth it. Don't let your inspiration disappear like the wash water down the drain. Write your thoughts on the steamy window with a wet finger if you must. Just get it down. And don't forget to re-write in your notebook before you clean the window!

2. Store it away. This has become a daily habit for me now. If you're on a long walk and all you have is your phone tucked in your pocket, don't be afraid to stop and send yourself a message. Speak it into the recorded memo function. Send your best friend a text and tell them to resend your garbled words back to you. They know you're a bit of a nutter. They won't mind!

3. Pray it won't fade away. If you really can't stop to write something or record your own voice, (when you're on the freeway or in church) commit your thoughts to the One who inspires them in the first place. Tell Him your idea and ask Him to return it to you at the right time. 

As for me... I'm on a plane today. Winging my way back from a quick trip to Bangkok with my Beloved. I know I'll be inspired by the people around me in airport lounges. I can't help it. It's the sticky beak in me. 

Good thing I've plenty of time to ponder my next book idea, and talk about it with the Giver of all inspiration. Because I think an airplane is just as good as a kitchen sink for deep thinking. Maybe even better. 

How about you? Where have you found yourself with a head full of inspiration? How do you capture the writing whispers?

*****

Dorothy Adamek lives at Crabapple House with her Beloved, their three teenagers and five pampered backyard chickens. She writes historical romance, Aussie style. Follow her love of all thing yesteryear at Ink Dots. 

5 Ways To Secure the Long Term Health of Your Writing Career

What's going on when you're writing? Are you slumped over the computer or slouched in bed with the laptop and a few... ok, a packet of Tim Tams?

Some of you know I suffer from migraines which I try to keep under control with a gluten-free/dairy-free lifestyle. Over the last three years, my writing time has increased to the point where my body is starting to rebel. It not only demands good nutrition, it's been crying out for the right posture and exercise. After a few weeks of sore wrists last month, I chatted to a dear chiropractor friend about the steps I can take to prevent the injuries associated with repetitive hours at the computer. Here's what Dr Alissa Buda shared with me.

1. Look at your posture. Are you hunched over your work? Do your forearms rest on the table or are they too high? Your chair should be high enough that when your feet are firmly on the floor, your hips should be about 15 degrees to your knees. Computer screens should be at eye level.

2. Minimise inflammation in your body. There are a few ways to do this. Take a daily liquid fish oil supplement (which has a higher EPA count than capsules and therefore, more effective for this purpose), minimise grains in your diet, and exercise daily. Even just a 15 minute walk is better than nothing.

3. Learn to move on purpose. Sitting for too many hours is horrible for you health and increases your risk of chronic diseases, so get up and move. Rotate your shoulders when sitting for long periods. You may even want to investigate Pilates, as it has a strong focus on posture and core strength. Take regular breaks, even when you're in a writing groove. Stand up for 30 seconds and stretch.

4. Stretch even when you're sitting. Place your right arm in front of you, elbow extended and palm down. Bend your  wrist toward the floor and pull your hand slightly with your left hand, increasing the bend. You should feel the stretch on the outside of your forearm. Next, bend your wrist toward the ceiling and pull you hand slightly with your left hand, increasing the bend. Now you should feel the stretch in the inner forearm. To increase the stretch, slowly curl your fingers. Repeat with other arm.

5. Jump on a magnesium and calcium supplement which is great for muscle spasms.

These hints are only a starting point, and individual cases should be discussed with a personal physician. I've found the stretching hint very helpful and even in this wintery rain, I'm trying to take more walks.

How about you? Are you with me?

What are you doing to ensure the long term health and future of your writing career?

********************

Dorothy Adamek writes Historical Romance. She lives in Melbourne with her Beloved and their three teenagers, drinks coffee with rice milk, and is not a great fan of walks in the rain. She loves to sift through all things yesteryear and writes about it at Ink Dots.  

(photo source - love reading and writing)

When The Marker Broke Ground.

How old were you when you discovered you were a writer?

I was 9. Like most people who've moved into adulthood in pursuit of the writing dream, it started for me when I was a kid. Many trace their first writing success to the school room and their stories are much like mine.

One Friday afternoon in grade 4, our teacher commissioned us to write a story in honour of his son's first birthday that weekend. The writer with the best story would receive a piece of cake on Monday morning as their reward.

I was not a sweet tooth, so the prize interested me less than the task.

Write a story...

I don't have a copy of of what I wrote that day, and all I remember is the quirky detail of making my narrator the cake itself. This impressed my teacher enough to award me the prize and true to his word, produced a slice of sponge cake wrapped in a cream blotched serviette for me, just after Monday's assembly.

That's it. No other memory itself. No dog-eared copy in a box of childhood treasures. Only the buzz of creating something to share with a reader remained.

Fixed in me as sure as any marker on the landscape of my world, that moment set my course. It was a year of many markers. I gave my heart to God that year too, and learned to write with an ink fountain pen.

I like to look at myself back then as someone gathering loose threads for a future project. A little writing encouragement, the beginning of a life changing faith journey, and the delight of all things 'old-fashioned.' But I'm a romantic and tend to fix things in such a way they have a soft focus around the edges and rose petals scattered on the ground. Ok, maybe not the rose petals...

Still my memory serves me well to have an age for when I knew writing was a part of who I am.

How old were you, when the marker broke ground? When you discovered writing, be it fiction or non-fiction, would shape your days?

**********

Dorothy Adamek writes Historical Romance. 

This month she's been doing the March-photo-a-day challenge.

 Visit her at her blog Ink Dots.

The Writer's Prayer

On a recent adventure, I accompanied my Beloved on a business trip to Malaysia. He did his thing in the corporate arena, and I got to spend my days at the keyboard, spitting out those words we all love to chase. 


I had no internet. (Gasp)


No household chores beckoned, and there were no kids to drag me out of my writing world. I did have a very kind 'butler' (I know... don't hate me!) who serviced the hotel's lounge where I spent my hours. 


She delivered a steady stream of coffee whenever my cup ran dry. She replenished the buffet, where tropical fruits and sinful pastries winked at me all day. And, she smiled her encouragement when I took laps of the room to stretch my legs and roll my author shoulders. 


Can you imagine a more perfect writing day? Food and drink on tap, and total quiet. Once the breakfast traffic faded, I was glad to call that lounge my own for the rest of the morning, and well into the afternoon. I know you will not be surprised to hear, my word count reflected the benefits of full-time writing. I slammed that word count, and doubled it for good measure!


And then I had to go home. 


Home to the real world, which in my case, is sadly understaffed in the butler department. 


In my real world, words come slower, chased by the many demands no one could ever juggle, as well as I'm meant to. Here, my words are couched in the realities of life which dictate mood and enthusiasm. Tempered by commitments. Shadowed by my other loves. 


So how do we reconcile the requirements of writing, with life as we know it? From where do we snatch the minutes to add to our chapters?


I know from experimentation, an hour of my time is worth between 600 and 1000 words. But what if I sit for my allocated writing time and my head is not in tune with the task? How do I find 'Author Dotti' when 'Mama Dotti' is still in the room with a basket of washing on her hip? How do I dismiss 'Friend Dotti' when she still needs to cry for a sister, or 'Real Dotti' when her own burdens are too heavy?


I have found the best way to secure myself for writing, is to centre myself in Christ. Over the years I've collected writer's prayers which help me face the writing hour under the banner of Him who loves me most. 


So here's my prayer for 2012, penned by Sandy Tritt. Better than a butler, it's a New Year's gift, from me... to you. Be blessed. 

The Writer's Prayer

Open my mind, Lord. Grant me the talent to write with clarity and style, 

so my words go down rich and smooth, 

like fine wine, and leave my reader thirsty for more. 

Open my heart, Lord. Grant me the sensitivity to understand my characters...

  their hopes, their wants, their dreams,

 and help me to confer that empathy to my reader. 

Open my soul, Lord, so I may be a channel to wisdom,

 and creativity from beyond my self. 

Stoke my imagination with vivid imagery and vibrant perception.

But most of all, Lord, help me to know the Truth,

 so my fiction is more honest than actuality, 

and reaches the depths of my reader's soul. 

Wrap these gifts with opportunity, perseverance,

 and the strength to resist those who insist it can't be done.  

Amen

..................................

Dorothy Adamek writes Historical Romance. Visit her at her blog Ink Dots.

The Fantastic, the Strange and the Ridiculous.

You're crazy. Allow me to tell you, if you don't already know.

Writers are a confirmed bunch of crazy people. It's true. I've been told, so it must be. I don't mean the first dictionary definition of 1. deranged of mind. I prefer the next one down, 2. fantastic, strange and ridiculous. 

Known to dive into crazy situations, we whisper crazy thoughts and hunt down crazy stuff. We sniff out the crazy in others and revel in their stories, mentally storing details to savour later in our scribbles.

It's all part of the job description, and none of us would be game to deny it.

We hear a delicious phrase and tuck it away for our good pleasure. Ponder the title of a book from a list of thoroughbreds about to race. Lose ourselves smelling fruit as we contemplate what best describes late autumn.

We visit places far from home to taste the wind. Just to get the crazy details right. Revisit childhood to unearth emotions only God can strengthen us to navigate again. And let the moon rise, hours after our beloveds have fallen asleep, to continue writing until dawn nudges the sky.

While others go about their normal day, we wander down a pathway no one else can see. We dawdle there, and find something crazy enough to share with the dear one we call reader. And smile as we emerge with yet one more crazy thought.

Last January, as my kids swam in the waters of Phillip Island, I stayed ashore, shivering in the absent summer. I would not play in frozen water... until a crazy thought occurred to me. I wonder what it feels like to step in fully clothed? The way a character might in a moment of despair.

So I waded into the shallows and let the foam of the sea pull at my skirt hem with icy tugs. Let the waves assault my goose flesh until the black fabric stuck to my knees. To my children's horror, I ventured deeper and watched as my clothes billowed under me to the sway of the sea.

I just wanted to know. To feel the sodden skirt as it clung to my skin as I stepped out. To watch as tiny streams of water dripped down my legs and sand stuck to my hem as it dragged along the pathway home. Hours later, I looked again, to see the dusty salt marks in the creases of my skirt.

It was crazy and it was fun. And it was part of whom I've now become. A gatherer of details and experiences. A crazy writer.

Are you a crazy writer? Game enough to share a time when some craziness beckoned in your writing pursuits?

And if you're too shy to admit a moment of craziness, remember crazy also means, 3. very good or excellent. Ask any teenager. They're crazy too!

*******

Dorothy Adamek writes Historical Romance. Visit her at her blog Ink Dots.

When Time Stands Still

Get Reading, Australia's largest celebration of books is on again this September. The challenge? To read the recommended 50 books you can't put down.

To help, the good people at Get Reading offer the latest 2011 list of books for readers to download. They also encourage young and old to find their way to Reading Rooms in most major Australian cities where author appearances, quiet browsing and comfy chairs provide the right atmosphere for sinking into a good book.

This made me think about my own favourite reading spots. In the summer, my reading room is outside. I have a cane rocker on the porch, beside the long arms of our quince tree. It's no coincidence an old rusty double-sided clock sits above me, screwed into the wall. Some might lament its faded face, stuck eternally at quarter past 4. I think it's perfect. Time stands still when I'm gardening or lost in a good book and if my broken outdoor ornament agrees, who am I to remedy this?

In Melbourne's winter, nothing beats reading in bed against the honey glow of a lamp. Could there be a more perfect reading room? Add the fingertips of rain against the window, a lit fire and peppermint tea, and I may never leave.

Oh and at this point in my life, the book must be made of paper. I may be tempted by a backlit iPad one day... but for now I'm holding onto the dog eared variety to be shared with friends when I'm done.

What about you? Where are you drawn to, when the clock stops ticking and a good book finds its way into your lap? Tell me about your perfect reading room.

**************

Dorothy Adamek is a Melbourne based writer of Historical Romance. Read more at her Ink Dots blog.

Coming South

Coming South - Tom Roberts

Have you ever wanted to run away? To pick yourself up and become lost in the middle of so many strangers, not one soul would recognise you?

Perhaps you've lived happily in one town all your life and with little warning been forced to relocate your family and possessions to the other side of the world.

Or maybe you've lived such a despicable life the choice was never yours to make, and you found yourself shackled and transported to a place you feared more than death.

The stories of the displaced resonate with me. New starts. New lives. New loves. For more than 200 years Australia has offered her 'wide brown land' and 'jewel seas' for the uprooted to find a place to settle.

Recorded in our history are their struggles to adapt in a land many early occupants agreed was, 'no place for a nervous lady.' Their letters and journals, heartbreaking accounts of loss and despair, tell the tale of lives tipped so far upside down, it's no wonder we wear the tag, Downunder.

These stories need to be unpacked and retold. Embellished with a thick cord of romance and shared with the world.

Will I do my part? You bet. Enamoured by all things 19th century and drawn to tell the stories of new beginnings, I write Historical Romance, Aussie style.

Stories where God mends the broken hearted and sets the captives free. Where He gathers the upside down, and spills them the right way up.

Can God spill someone the right way up? Yes, He can. When it happens Downunder!

Come and learn more about me and the things I love at Ink Dots.
http://dorothyadamek.blogspot.com/

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Writing for HyalineHouse, Dorothy Adamek lives in Melbourne. For some years she taught high school History and English. She now lives and breathes it at home most waking hours, and has been known to wander there in her sleep. In case you need to know, she likes to use violet ink in her fountain pen.