365 Creativity Project-Day 116

Journal entry:

Original Anxiety

It is unknown to
My heart what may be achieved.
I am filled with fear
That my activities might
Produce nothing valuable.

My creative work
Must be handled with great care
To bring awareness
To those it is meant to reach
Generating happiness.

I always worry
Over every word and image
Hoping they are just right,
Touching imaginations,
Enlightening other minds.

Jo Ann J. A. Jordan
Friday, May 4, 2012

Photographs:

I am grateful:

1.   My contacts allow me to see.
2.   I have plenty of books to read.
3.   I cooked a supper Mom enjoyed very much.
4.   My new Kindle covers came yesterday and are gorgeous.
5.   I have read fifteen books this year so I am on track to meet my goal of thirty-six.

Happy Friday to each of you. I hope you enjoyed your day. Make it your goal to do something creative before this weekend is over.

Please leave me a comment, if you are so inclined.

Always,
Jo Ann

Where I Ponder My Choices

I finished reading Overbite by Meg Cabot this evening. It was a very good novel with an unexpected, but satisfying ending. I am trying to decide on a new book to begin. Perhaps I have too many to choose from because I cannot seem to make up my mind. I am 9 books behind on my goal of reading 120 this year. This is disappointing, but the goal is only a target, not something I must complete.


The new Kindles are to be released next month, but I think I am waiting a while before I purchase one. In fact, I am in a holding pattern on most electronics. I want to wait for the next operating system before I get a new computer. I want to get the next model Nikon when it first comes out. I want to see if the next generation of tablets and e-readers are better. I am content with my BlackBerry, although I am considering an Android or iPhone if plans and pricing come down. My iPods are sufficient for the time being.


It seems I am regressing to older technology lately. I am so taken with the books I purchased at Borders’ going out of business sale and those I borrow from the library that I am hardly using my Kindle 3. I have started writing with an ink pen rather than on my computer and am enjoying seeing words fill my notebooks.


This entry was written in my notebook and copied so that I might add it to my blog.


Hope all of you are doing well.


Always,
Jo Ann

Note to Writers and Authors

I am an avid reader and I write. I do not know that I will ever be widely published because I have a great fear of failure. That stymies my creativity.

Today, I speak directly to writers and authors. I love reading and spend much of my time perusing the pages of books and eBooks. I am a kind reviewer, giving many of the books I read the highest ratings. However, I find it very distracting to read poorly edited books. To come upon one or two mistakes in a text is forgivable, but when pages are riddled with wrong words, omitted words, and grammatical problems, it pulls me out of the story. I see how careless the writer has been and how little respect he/she has for the reader. I like to give indie authors a chance when I read on my Kindle, but many of these eBooks appear to be totally unedited. The story may be marvelous, but the craft should be attended to as well.

I know most of us write on computers these days, and am thankful for spell-check. Even with the marvelous aids given by technology, a careful reading of what is written is required. If you, as a writer, lack the skill to recognize your own mistakes, have someone with some knowledge of English read over your work and suggest corrections. Please have enough respect for your readers to produce clear copy. You will earn more repeat readers by so doing.

I hope this will make an impression on those who are self-publishing, and even those with publishers.

Always,
Jo Ann

Some Random Things You May Not Know About Me…

1.   I love my steak medium rare.
2.   I could spend unlimited amounts of money on books and eBooks.
3.   I treat my puppy dog, Hope, as if she is my second child.
4.   I am a very good editor and once published a magazine.
5.   I love electronic gadgets: computers, iPods, BlackBerry cellphones, Nikon digital cameras, digital video cameras, and my Kindle.
6.   I collect so many things my room is overly cluttered.
7.   I love my son, Alex, so much that it is often overwhelming.
8.   I don’t believe in buying songs from iTunes, but always buy my music on CD.
9.   I am a perfectionist, not a good thing at all, as it keeps me from trying things at times.
10.  I am very loyal, trusting, and love my friends and family very deeply.
11.   I have a slow temper, but once I am angry I can hold a grudge for a long time.
12.  I sometimes have a very dirty mouth, usually when angry.
13.  I hate to cook, but am quite good at it.
14.  My favorite color is red.
15.  The Rolling Stones are my favorite Rock stars and I have seen them in concert twice.
16.  I watch very little television and find it very irritating.
17.  I am a Christian, but have moderate attitudes.
18.  I have never flown on an airplane.
19.  I am very good at entertaining myself and almost never become bored.
20. I take care of my 81 year old mother who has Parkinson’s Disease and other maladies.
21.  I believe all people have unlimited creativity and special talents.
22. I love art and can draw and paint a bit.
23. I almost always wear Nikes.
24. I have had the same email address over ten years.
25. Some people say I am a talented writer, but I have not written creatively in a while.

First Thankful List of 2011

I am thankful:
1.   I had a wonderful Christmas here at home with Mom.
2.  I took my BlackBerry Curve 8330 back to Sam’s Club because I was having many problems with it. Mom instead bought me the BlackBerry Curve 8530 from Best Buy. It is working much better for me. I do not worry about it all the time like I was doing with the other one.
3.  I got my Kindle for Christmas. I did not think I would like an e-reader a lot, but I absolutely love my Kindle. I am discovering and re-discovering many classics since I have the Kindle.
4.  Mom gave me $50.00 in a Kindle Store gift card and my niece, Leigh, gave me $25.00 in an Amazon gift card, so I have been able to buy content for my Kindle that is modern.
5.  Mom gave me $150.00 in Borders gift cards and my sister-in-law, Linda, gave $30.00 so I have been able to buy some excellent books. Especially love my Oxford American English Dictionary which I have been wanting for years. I bought some writing books as well, and a Borders Rewards Plus membership which will save me money all year. I still have around $32.00 to spend, so I may buy some eBooks to read on the computer, or more books from the store.
6. Alex sent me a teddy bear outfitted in Marine Corps fatigues with Mountz embroidered on the pocket just like his real uniforms.
7.  I am keeping a detailed calendar of what I do each day on my BlackBerry which transfers to Google calendar. This helps me budget my time more wisely.
8.  I read 130 books in 2010. Most of them were very enjoyable and I learned a lot through my reading. My goal for 2011 is the same as last year: 120 or more books. However, I hope to write more during 2011 so that may effect how many books I can read. Writing is very time consuming.
9.  I went out to lunch with one of my friends from my old Sunday School class yesterday. It was very good re-connecting with her. I enjoyed our conversation a great deal.
10. I experienced a very blessed year in 2010 and am looking forward to a wonderful year in 2011. I am so fortunate to be surrounded by so much love. For all the drawbacks I face in life I am still a very happy person. Much good fills my days.