Category Archives: Small Stones

Five January Small Stones

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I’ve been writing small stones this January, although truth be told I’ve been more attentive to my poetry and my new novel! (More of that to come)

Anyway here’s a taste of my month so far:

1. Frost holds fast to the edge of the field / in the blonde grass the heron stands / a train beneath its feet

Written after a walk along an old railway track

 

2. Ruched skirt, frilled blouse/ feather earrings/ a girl among pigeons

I was shopping in town when I saw this.

 

3. Distant cars/ fireflies in the jungle’s sudden dark

From my writing room window.

 

4. It was evening all afternoon/shadows rippled across the field/a goldfinch sat in the hawthorn

I’d been reading and imitating Wallace Stevens..

 

5. Honda baseball cap,walrus moustache /two rosaries, a scottie dog under his arm / he fills the kitchen

I met this guy in my friends kitchen!

 

Another small stone - in my home made book I used pages with text on as well as blanks

This small stone is about re-discovering a novel I had already begun and taking it up again!

 

Indie Celebration

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Happy New Year!

I’ve been making books with my sister-in-law Jan. I love spending time with her as it’s always fun and very creative. We both made notebooks for our January small stones -

Here they are:

I used to work a lot in paper, some of which I painted before using, some found or given. I made collages, experimented with colour, texture and form, and making notebooks reminded me of how much I want to work with paper again.

While we made books we talked about the year ahead; our creative and life goals. Some of mine include:

  • publishing my crime novel Blood Tide which nearly made it but not quite and which I believe in and want to get out into the world – also launching it in style and getting to work on the sequel.
  • exploring journaling and notebook making – I’m hooked after just one session.
  • writing poetry – reading a poet a week, learning what I can, finding my own voice.

There were other things on my list but really they all came down to one thing – celebrating the Indie – exploring life outside of the writing world of the establishment, doing it for myself – and in a spirit of co-operation and not of competition.

I’m looking forward to 2012!

A River of Stones Jan 2012

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I wasn’t going to sign up for the January River of Stones. I was thinking there’s a lot I’ll be doing in January and do I need something else on my list? But the answer of course is that writing small stones does not take up your time. On the contrary it slows you down, it grounds you in the now, time opens up and with it come great treasures. If you don’t know about small stones then find out more here. I hope you’ll think of giving it a go. This time I’m going to buy myself a beautiful notebook to put my small stones in.