Miller Time Friday: It Can Always Get Better, My girl crush and getting ready for a style statement tea party

Keep in mind I wrote this post yesterday during the height of a blizzard.  The snow is getting a little much, and I do worry that Mother Nature has been watching one too many episodes of Game of Thrones and wants it to be nice and snowy in early April when the next season begins. 

The most wonderful thing about starting over in a completely different career is that you have so MUCH to learn.  Were I to have decided that nonfiction was my dream, it would have been less of a steep learning curve, since I had done so much of that in my previous career, but where would be the fun in THAT?

This past week I have spent 2 days writing back story and motivation for all of the characters.  I continue to think of new ways to make the characters "real", new ways to make the plot hum.  I read voraciously about my new craft and I cannot wait to go to a conference later this year.  I am in a critique group that makes me think and I have a friend over on the Island who is also a big inspiration and help to me about writing.  I am planning to take an online course about writing for Children from Ryerson this spring.

At one point, Barry asked if I wasn't perhaps "worrying" the book. 

I think not.  I think I know it can be better and my desire is to send something out into the world that is at least as good as it could be.  Readers deserve nothing less and if I want this to be a career for the long haul, well, I need to put in the work to get it there! 

Every new thing I learn becomes an arrow in my quiver, a new tool that I will be able to use at some future point, both in this book and the ones that will follow it. 

And besides, work keeps me from gasping every time I look out the window...

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On a completely different topic, I have a girl crush.  Our own Jen Lawrence, who pops in to comment often, has the most wonderful blog that I completely knew nothing about til our other Jennifer mentioned it in her blog (it is a small world after all...)

Anyway, her blog Dwell on These Things, is just as lovely as her comments here. 

I binge-read a bunch of her posts (don't we ALL binge watch everything now?) and the writing and topics are divine and I think we may be separated at birth as when I read her list of likes, I could put a check beside almost every single one!

So if you are one of the few who has yet to discover her spot, scurry right over and enjoy the conversation!

*****

Not sure if you recall my post last summer about The Style Statement book?

Well as an early spring picker-upper, Saturday afternoon I am having a Style Statement tea party. 

We are going to discuss the challenges of doing the work, how we are using it (if we are using it) in our lives, from clothing to our homes to our careers, and we will even be doing a vision board.

Oh and there will be tea and scones and muffins.  You gotta love that!  I am looking forward to getting out all of my mother's fine teacups and spending an afternoon laughing with good friends!

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Finally it is Friday.  And Monday is St. Paddy's Day.  And somewhere Fred will be out in the world with her green lace dress...

Let's raise a toast to our Irish chums shall we?

Since this is the day that everyone pretends to be Irish, let's make the

Everybody's Irish Cocktail Recipe

Yield: 1 Cocktail

Ingredients:

• 2 ounces Irish whiskey
• 1 Tablespoon green crème de menthe
• 1 Tablespoon Green Chartreuse
• Cocktail olive for garnish

Preparation:

1. Pour the ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice cubes.
2. Shake well.
3. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
4. Garnish with the olive.

You may only get one of these down, but it will be a good time after that!

Have a happy Friday and Stay Safe Out there!