The Josie Pages

Field Notes In/On Transition. Love & Death The peace of mind I seemed to gain in December, going through the emotional turmoil of losing my free electrolysis/laser appointments (which I detailed in a previous post) is lost to me now. I’ve had a nagging cough/cold from the day I went back to work. It is okay now, with maybe one or two wee coughs in the day now, all the other cold symptoms are gone though. I feel reasonably healthy, at least physically. Psychically, emotionally, though I am kind of a wreck. I really do not foresee my cost of living going down, or my income going up; but it kind of has to. The only place I want to live anywhere in the world is becoming too expensive for me. If I end up having to move I plan to dump my RRSP, penalties and all, pay off my line of credit, VISA, and start fresh in some freezing cold other part of Canada. Le Sigh. These fears for the future drag me down a lot. I understand that you can’t predict the future, but that doesn...

Field Notes In/On Transition New Year’s Jump? I mentioned in my last post how I have worked a more regular (and more fulfilling than endless journalling, morning pages, which for a long time was the only writing I did daily, and of course on facebook, etc) writing practice. I have turned it into a crucial part of my day, usually, ideally, in the morning, after my breakfast, coffee, emails, etc, I sit down and write a (self imposed) minimum of 1000 words.  I time it so I have a few minutes break after about halfway (lately I do this less though) and then can finish up the day’s ‘chapter’ with time to make a sandwich and get my mind off the story and ready for work. On days off, like my recent staycation, or weekends, sometimes it’s later in the day that I get going on the writing. But every day, except maybe two or three, since  Halloween I have sat down and got my characters into their next scene, day by day.  This practice makes me feel good for a numbe...

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Field Notes In/On Transition Different Directions One of those blog posts where I feel like I have to apologize for not posting more often. I’ve been trying to get my thoughts together for a new blog for a couple of weeks. But the thing is that while I have been driven to write everyday, it hasn’t been this blog that i’ve been working on: I’m working on a novel. It may never see the light of day, but I’m trying my hardest to sit everyday and work on it in the mornings, before work. Blog thinking has been hard to come by, when I sit down to type, even now, i’m getting ideas for what I’m going to write tomorrow. The writing is just as therapeutic for me, as working on this blog, or writing poems, but it isn’t in anyway autobiographical. I am not giving any story away other than to say it would be classified as Sci/Fi and it has some fantasy elements. I’ve been doing this, (missing only one or two days early on) for almost six weeks, and every day I write a thousand to fifte...

Fiel Notes In/On Transition Feedback and other Fuzz Feedback is something we all want a little bit of at least. Of course we mostly want, need positive feedback, but I think most people also enjoy constructive feedback on whatever it is they are talking, writing, blogging, painting, whatever-ing about. Negative feedback can be very important as well, but only if it’s constructive. Why bothering critiquing something or someone if all you have is ‘blankety blank’ sucks, or should die? That is not criticism of any kind, or discussion, it is the meanest thing you can do really. Offer another way of looking at the thing bothering you, or at least in your comment, discussion express why you are displeased. I say this to again bring up the point that while I allow ‘anonymous’ comments, I moderate them as I don’t get a lot of comments, and a few here and there are hateful almost robot-like in their generic hatefulness. Anything that is not a genuine discussion, negative or positi...

Field Notes In/On Transition The Former Poet’s Guide To Survival  I don’t consider myself to be a poet anymore. I’m not writing any new stuff. I have written maybe 4 poems in the last five years. I’ve put out my books sure, and even written a few poems (for those books,) that I’m proud of. Editing of my old pieces has been the only real work I’ve done in that area. Yes, it is work, completely unpaid, but such is the life of someone who writes. We are the bottom of the barrel, expected to work for free far more than any other ‘content provider.’ A term I loathe. One more thing the internet has helped to ruin, is the idea that people should be able to earn a (meagre) living from their art.  Every artistic endeavour I’ve ever undertaken, people expect the work to be done for free. As a graphic Designer in the late 90’s my heart was constantly broken by small businesses who would hire me to design their business cards, or signage. Very few ever actually paid me. Th...