Happy vernal/autumnal equinox day!
I remembered that I wrote a story about this a few years ago. You can read it for free on Wattpad.
This week my homework assignment prompted a few hours of thinking about my course about to start in October. Yes, it will still go ahead as planned, so book your place super quick, there are only 10 spots available.
My thoughts centred around the possibility of a second book, but I am not yet sure if it will happen.
Since it is now officially spring around here, we are hopeful that we will have rain soon. It is so dusty that the sky is not even blue anymore. The haziness of all the dust in the air reminds me of smog, and Pretoria isn't that kind of city. Until this week it would seem.
With my course, and the book, my chores have been piling up. Good thing that tomorrow is a public holiday, Heritage Day. Although most people refer to it as Braai Day, because we dig out the barbies to braai in celebration of summer. Cooking over a fire is the second most popular sport in this country (after rugby that is) and even a vegetarian like myself can enjoy food prepared this way.
And on that note, I need to see what I can find in the freezer and attempt some dent in that pile of laundry to be ironed.
Until next time, keep the good times rolling!
🙋♀️ Linzé
Sunday 23 September 2018
Monday 17 September 2018
Keeping up...with me
Photo Hannah Olinger on Unsplash |
Writing, studying, working, exercising, and a change of diet all together tends to keep me pretty busy. I took a leaf out of my current writing project, Take Your Journal to the Next Level, and restarted using a Bullet Journal. I have used it before, but I made a simple mistake which I now fixed: I am using a separate notebook.
In the past I used my normal journal to add the bujo activities, but it wasn't effective. Two weeks ago I dug out a blank journal out of my cupboard and have been using it with much greater success. I changed the format slightly to suit me, but that is just one of the benefits of the simple planner style-it is adaptable.
Go bujo!
If you are a journal writer stuck in a rut, or want to start a keeping journal, or just want to experiment with different styles of journal writing, then I want your input.If you live in Pretoria, South Africa, and would like to learn more about journal writing, contact me to get your name on a mailing list for a course that will start in October.
If you are not living in my home city and still want to learn more about journal writing, you too can pop me an email to be a beta reader for Take Your Journal to the Next Level.
And since I have now committed myself to finishing the book by October, I better get back to it.
Wishing you a terrific week!
💜 Linzé
Tuesday 4 September 2018
Interview with... Dan Weatherer
Linzé: This week I am privileged to have a playwright on the Broomstick and he is telling us about his upcoming book.
The Dead Stage – the period of time between completing the working draft of a stage play and placing it with an interested party.”- Dan Weatherer
Dan Weatherer, an author turned playwright, learned quickly that there are practices playwrights can implement to dramatically increase the appeal of their work.
Inside, you’ll find advice that will enable you to better tailor your work to the needs of the theatre industry, without having to compromise on style, content or subject matter. Dan discusses his early mistakes, and presents the advice of notable theatre professionals including the award-winning playwright, Deborah McAndrew, noted actor Matthew Spence, and London Horror Festival producer, Kate Danbury (along with many, many more!).
You’ll also be able to read several of Dan’s completed stage plays, which are presented in a preferred industry format, and often contain side-notes detailing the success (and failures) of said pieces.
From budgets to set design, run-time to cast size, if you ever felt the desire to write for the stage, following the advice presented in this book will help improve your chances of pairing your script with an interested party, hopefully making The Dead Stage pass almost unnoticed.
Brought to you by Crystal Lake Publishing – Tales from The Darkest Depths.
Dan Weatherer, an author turned playwright, learned quickly that there are practices playwrights can implement to dramatically increase the appeal of their work.
Inside, you’ll find advice that will enable you to better tailor your work to the needs of the theatre industry, without having to compromise on style, content or subject matter. Dan discusses his early mistakes, and presents the advice of notable theatre professionals including the award-winning playwright, Deborah McAndrew, noted actor Matthew Spence, and London Horror Festival producer, Kate Danbury (along with many, many more!).
You’ll also be able to read several of Dan’s completed stage plays, which are presented in a preferred industry format, and often contain side-notes detailing the success (and failures) of said pieces.
From budgets to set design, run-time to cast size, if you ever felt the desire to write for the stage, following the advice presented in this book will help improve your chances of pairing your script with an interested party, hopefully making The Dead Stage pass almost unnoticed.
Brought to you by Crystal Lake Publishing – Tales from The Darkest Depths.
Dan Weatherer |
What makes this non-fiction book so special?
“Placing a stage play with a theatre company is (in my experience) more difficult than placing a book with a publisher. Open theatre calls are highly competitive, seeing hundreds of entries for a call that can possibly stage only three or four pieces. Quality of work is no longer enough to guarantee consideration for performance.
The tips and advice contained in The Dead Stage allowed me to build an impressive portfolio of theatre work in a relatively short space of time. I believe it is important to share experiences if they may be able to help others achieve success.”
Tell us more about why you wanted to write this guide.
Tell us more about why you wanted to write this guide.
“Throughout my career, I have worked to create opportunities for others, believing it is better to be a small fish in a thriving ocean, rather than a big fish in a stagnant pond.
This book is about sharing my experiences and mistakes, in the hope that I can help others avoid the pitfalls that I fell into.
Theatre, more than any other medium, is a tough industry to break into. Every piece a playwright will write will always be in competition with work from the greatest playwrights of all time. Theatre is a business: seats need to be sold in order to keep theatres running, and so often established pieces are booked instead of the work of what many might term the ‘New Writing’. This is because they are considered safe bookings, and the theatre will, in most instances, not lose money. New writing is considered a risk. Usually, theatres set aside a budget for new writing, but this is often small and tightly contested.
But theatre needs new voices and there are theatre companies willing to give new writing a chance. This book is my way of saying that yes, it is possible to see your work performed on stage, no matter your previous experience in the theatre industry.”
If you have a passing interest in the theatre industry, either as a playwright, director, producer, actor or working behind the scenes, then this book is for you. It includes insights and advice from an array of professionals working at all levels of the industry today. Their advice helped me see my work performed on stage, now it’s their turn to help you.”
The book is due for release in October 2018. We will update you closer to the date for a pre-order link.
Thank you, Dan. We are looking forward to another excellent book from the Crystal Lake stable.
~Linzé
Sunday 2 September 2018
Coursework, writing, blogging and life
Photo by Emily Rudolph on Unsplash |
I
was a bit quiet this week, and not entirely of my own doing. I am
doing an online course in Training and Development Management and the
homework this past week was a bit more challenging and required more
of my time. It is one of those things that you cannot just email the
lecturer and tell him: "Sorry, I need more time because my blogs
required my attention."
But
I have a sneak preview of a new book for you on Tuesday, an interview
with author and playwright Dan Weatherer where he reveals the story
behind his upcoming book, The Dead Stage.
If
you are an author or working on your first book, make sure you
bookmark the post, because I will give you a pre-order link very
soon.
Speaking
of books, I have not only been studying, and the first draft of my
next book, Take Your Journal to the Next Level is now at 69%
complete. If you are a journal writer, and you live in Pretoria keep
a lookout for the Facebook invitation to take part in a special
project involving this book. But I am not going to reveal all the
details yet.
Another
exciting thing that is in the making is the republication of
Negotiating the Maze - from self-published writer to successful
authorpreneur. The ebook was withdrawn after Pronoun went under, but
I have found a new publisher and hope to tell you the good news on
where to find the ebook again very soon.
The
paperback book is still available for South Africans if you want a
signed copy.
The
library indie book fair will take place again in November, and my
place is secured. But more on that closer to the date.
Enough
of all the exciting things going on right now. I have a book to write
and more coursework coming in the week ahead.
Until
next time!
Linzé
PS:
I have another blog about life, wellness and life coaching. Take a look here.
Sunday 26 August 2018
Books, and all things life...of sorts
I
had a run in with my garage door opener on Friday. It wasn't pretty.
When I was ready to go to work, the door didn't open. Stuck, I
decided to take leave for the day and do other stuff. Several hours
later, I got that incredibly jittery feeling of being trapped. Not
literally, but not being able to just get in the car and go
somewhere, makes me feel that way.
So
there I was trying to figure out how to do this. Of course, I knew
what to do, but the problem was getting it done. Disengaging the
motor drive was a challenge (because I refuse to get on a ladder) but
I finally managed to stretch at just the right angle to reach it.
Here
comes the not so pretty part. I had to lift the wooden door by hand.
Given the angle and space, I had to work with, I was glad I was alone
in that garage. I managed to lift it just enough so I could go
outside (via Francois' garage door), stick my fingers underneath and
then haul that load up.
The
door is still damn heavy, but I was sure grateful for all those
weights my personal trainer had me lifting these past eight months.
Door
open I had now to try and get it closed again; otherwise I couldn't
leave. Back to the same problem, the car was now outside, but the
door now had to be closed again. But luckily the empty space was
sufficient to get the door in the right position. I tried again to
engage the motor drive, and thank goodness it locked the gear and
closed by itself.
If
any of my neighbours saw my efforts, they would probably have been
laughing their butts off or popped over in a second to come and help.
Since I managed, I went off to refuel the car and get a few things
for home.
And
the new book, Take Your Journal to the Next Level, is making good
progress too. According to my project plan, the first draft is now
64% complete.
Something
that makes me motivated to keep going, that's for sure.
Until
next time!
💜 Linzé
PS: There are more book features coming soon!
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