Nanaimo

Recently a dear friend treated me to an awesome dessert - the Nanaimo bar.

If you are a brownie lover or a chocoholic like me you'd die for it.  A thin chocolate slab would melt in your mouth with a soft taste of pudding or marshmallow which would end with again another piece of biscuit like delicious decadence of cocoa or chocolate.  Don't ask for the recipe, it is sinfully sumptuous.

My friend Anne made it for me and she did it oh so perfectly...but let it be with her, cause I dare not count my Weight Watchers Points for that.

With a bite of this delicious thing, it brought me memories of the place- Nanaimo we visited last fall.

The name Nanaimo means- the strong big tribe. But what I'd associate with this name is a tranquil quaint little place where I had a chance to listen to different sounds of the water.  The swooshing waves when a big ship passes as well as gurgling books and how water purls that are caught between pebbles and rocks.

Go to Nanoose Bay if you want to escape from the hustle bustle of the rushed life, sit on the rock and observe all kinds of shorebirds at the end of a day.

 A trip to Regards Coffee in the morning should have been a must,  we heard from our new friends Richard and Mary, but we missed it and I am more of a tea drinker.  Tea Desire is a grand place also.

Don't you miss meeting the goats on a rooftop at Coombs Old Market and definitely not the ice cream they sell there.  Out of one hundred choices, I was confused indeed, and asked for  Dulce de leche and was not disappointed at all.

Next, we went to the Englishman River Falls  Park.  A nice place for a short hike. Here what I'd remember are the awesome shades of green nature had to offer.  The dark green strokes on the branches of junipers and pines, the fern green sweeps on the bushes and shrubs along the falls and then the moss balls...oh so soft like velvet blanket on the rocks.
                                                                 

It was only about a three-hour ferry ride from Vancouver and was very worth it for the tranquility it gave us.

Why Should You Blog?

Why another blog post?

Why should you blog? And if so about what?

Last Saturday in our California Writers Club the discussion topic was about Writing Blogs.

We know that though one of the main reason to have a blog is monetizing, I knew it was not my main reason.

The reason for my blog started as journaling my journey as a writer.  The agony and ecstasy I feel.

Ecstasy:

 When I accomplish writing a new piece that I like. The high I get when something good happens in my writing life like winning a prize in a contest or receiving a publishing promise, which seldom happens.

 Agony:

Mostly it is the numbness when I stare at a blank page and suffer writer's block.  It is the feeling of shame and low self-esteem I suffer for procrastinating and miss deadlines.

I establish my lack of concentration, lack of discipline, a lack of perseverance and trustworthiness.

I fail constantly to keep the promises I make to myself and prove my vulnerability.

What's the point writing about all this negativity?

As a result, I remain silent and dig huge gaps between my blog posts.

Today I felt recharged and encouraged after the seminar.  I came to know that that is the case with many bloggers.  This vulnerability is our common ground  Together we can do something about it.

What I took away  from the seminar: Reasons to Blog:

* Self Improvement
* Giving back and sharing. Like sharing someone else's writing or a book review.

As a fiction writer, I feel confused about the topics to cover.  I found some wonderful ideas in Jane Friedmans blog articles.

 Then, I came across another article by Jerry Jenkins where he talked about twenty different steps for finishing a book.

Out of the twenty or so ideas,  the one I picked up  today is the seventh one

Establish a Sacred Deadline

I decided to take twelve months to gather, edit and add stories from my old diary and knit them in a thematic thread. Each memoir piece will be 2000 words or so.  In order to make a book, I should aim for 25 to 30 such pieces, which means I must produce at least two to three a month.

It is doable.

 Are you a writer?  Do you have such a concrete plan? If not why not make one,  and be my writing buddy?   I'd die to hear from you in the comment box.