Journals in Movies

Why would you use a journal to create the back story in a film? There are so many techniques at hand to make back story connections ... but the journal brings a sense of privacy, hiding information, personal troubles and feelings with it.

I watched Lady in The Water last night and the main character Cleveland Heep is a janitor. While he is central to the entire story, it isn't until another character finds (and reads!!!!) his journal that we find out about his past... and perhaps help to explain a little of his life as it appears in the film.

While I would never condone the reading of another's journal ... it's use in the film provides back story while at the same time showing us a little of the pain that the main character has in his life.

Good old journals!

Beach House Journal

Here's an idea I have been trialling for the novel I'm writing ...

I have been writing the journal of the main character. Not that it will appear in the end novel (well I don't think it will) ... It's purpose is to really get into the head of the main character and include descriptions of the beach house where most of the story is set.

Apart from being fun it is useful in many ways. I suspect its possibly a good writer's exercise as well ...

Guilt Journals

Journals suck you in. A set of blank pages, ready to be scribbled on with witty rantings can set off a whole new set of responsibilities in your life. Bloggers seem to suffer from the same fate.

Just because you CAN write every day, doesn't mean you HAVE to. Even when you use a dated journal ... who said you have to fill every page?

Yet so often in the journals (and blogs) I have been reviewing people apologise for not writing regularly ... or after a long break. So what?

I don't know about others ... but I have enough REAL deadlines to deal with, without feeling guilty about taking a break from writing a journal/blog/diary ...

So here ... have a day off!

Book Month and Book Crossing

October is Book Month ... time to make a new commitment to setting books free.

I'm sorting my office this month coz we are getting new carpet ... which means I have to move my entire library! Sooooooooooo to make it a more positive experience I have downloaded a page of ten tags and will release 10 books!

If you don't know about Book Crossing .... then the time to check it out is now!

Tomorrow morning I set one free up at the uni and see if one of my students gets it ...

Reflective Journals - one for the students

I know I am a journal writing purist when I get cranky about student assignments being set as journals ... and then the students are told exactly how they are to keep this journal, what to write, how to set it out! Worse still ... it is given a mark. Ouch.

I also know I am a realist.

Assignments must be graded in the big bad world of tertiary study and journals are a useful tool for students to learn for reflection - either in study or for their future professional lives.

Having waxed lyrical ... here is a useful article on line about writing a reflective journal.

I'll talk more about grading these in a future blog entry ....

Final Sense

Big thanks to Final Sense for the new Template.

No thanks to Blogger for loosing my last one and not replying to my request for assistance!

If you are looking for a new Blogger Template pop by to Final Sense ... they have 100s of lovely ones to share.

Writing Habits

Some of my writing habits have really taken a beaten. Blame getting married and having a great honeymoon, blame taking on more 'other' work than was conducive for writing, blame procrastination. Doesn't really matter what I blame ... they've taken a beating.

Every writer knows the key is to write daily, edit yourself harshly, live creatively and curiously, and read read read ...

I have been doing all this. Just not as much as I possibly could have. So the holiday is really over ha ha!

I've still had some nice pieces in magazines like Flourish and Perth Today tho ... but some of my bigger projects that are just for me have taken the beating ... No more I say. No more!

Oh and I'm back in blog land too!!! (While I was away the blogger fairies stole my template and everything in it ... so excuse the randomness of my new template!).

Flourish in Spring!

Spring Has Sprung .... Where have I been?

Blogging just took a little back seat for awhile tis all!

(While I was away the blogger fairies stole my template and everything in it ... so excuse the randomness of my new template!).

This month I've had some nice pieces published in magazines like Flourish and Perth Today ...

Check them out ... Flourish is really setting some great new standards in women's magazines in Australia - lots of encouraging and uplifting articles and less celebrity gossip ... so much to read in each edition and not all full of ads.