AtoZ Blog Challenge: J is for JOURNAL

If you had browsed my blog, you would have noticed the tab, Linzé's Mischief. It is public journal where I write about things happening in my life. April aside, where I undertook to add more of me into my blog posts, the journal is just a way for me to express (read whine) myself about the stuff in my life.
I do have a private journal (not sharing that, ever!) and a writing journal. My private journal is online (I use the paid version of Penzu, with the full encryption suite) while my writers' journal is something I write by hand. I find that having at least one paper journal helps to satisfy my creative urge to write with a fountain pen, or a quill - depending where I am at the time. Quills and ink are not as mobile as a fountain pen ☻
A while back I started a group journal for my writers' group where the members each have an opportunity to write a little something about their experiences in the group and the projects that we undertake together. As group leader, I also note the names of the members, add new names and note names of members that have left the group.
A thought struck me about four weeks ago: why not write a diary for a character in one of my books? A character from a series or a bundle - to allow for some time frame of experiences.
As someone who cannot resist a stationary or book shop, I have a large collection of blank journals. I dusted one off, and started writing.
It already allowed me to "see" into the mind of the character and I get to understand her better. She is Alice, and she is the female lead in an erotica series where the stories have to be read in a specific order. And in case you are wondering, yes, some of her fantasies are part of the journal, and they are enacted in the still-to-be-published books. I haven't decided on the time frame yet, but I am not letting that stop me from exploring this new tool in my creative writing arsenal.

Do you keep any journals? I have found that even my private journal helps my creative projects. What are your experiences?

AtoZ Challenge: I is for INTERVIEW

Interviews of my fellow writers are coming up in May and June as part of our launch of the STORM anthology. They are Carmen Botman, Richard T Wheeler, Charmain Lines, Natalie Rivener, and Vanessa Wright.

If you like to ask a question I will ask each of them to answer in return - add it to the comments please. Hint: you can be as creative as you like, we are an out-of-the-box kind of group ☻

AtoZ Blog Challenge: H is for HOBBIES

Most creative people, at least the ones I know, do more than one creative activity. Writers paint or knit or take photographs. I am the same. I like to paint abstracts in acrylics, and

Cleo's Collar by Linze Brandon

have recently discovered the pleasures of oil painting. My latest canvas is 60" by 20" and was inspired by a book I bought with the lead glass window designs of Frank Lloyd Wright.

I also dabble in counted cross-stitch, where I prefer patterns of 20,000 stitches or more. Even designed my own pattern or two upon occasion.

The weirdest thing I do is to decorate my writer's journal. I keep personal journals online (with serious encryption for privacy) but let out my need to "sticker" and draw in my writing journal. I have also seemed to inspire at least two of my writers' group members to start doing the same.

My non-creative hobbies include fly-fishing. I mastered the technique in minutes, and have been known to catch a trout or two. It is not something that I get to do very often, but there was a promise made that Hubby will book us a weekend break in trout season, and then I can go indulge this need of mine to cast a line. He prefers to take photographs, but the scenery is so beautiful that I don't blame him if he spends most of his time with his camera instead of his fishing pole.

I also like archery. I don't do it competitively, only socially, if there is such a thing. I like the discipline and enjoy spending hours shooting arrows in our back yard with my compound bow. Yes, it is a weapon and the arrows I use can inflict fatal wounds, but safety is always of primary concern. So much so that I have trained my dogs to always remain within my line of sight, but not in the direction in which I am shooting the arrows.

I have shot arrows at water-filled balloons and big red apples for my husband and the resulting photographs were rather spectacular.

I am also a Manchester United football fan, but have not had much time to watch any games this season. As captain of a Superbru group of fans, The Broomstick Gang, I like to think I know my game, but so far this season, my team has not been playing up to expectation. Maybe next season?

Do you like sports? Do you have any non-creative hobbies? I like these activities for relaxation only, but have had a moment or two of inspiration for a story. Does this happen to you?

AtoZ Blog Challenge: G is for GUEST Post

All the guru's tell you that guest posting on other people's blogs is a good idea to grow your exposure - build your audience (if I may use the buzz words). While I like for other people to have a good word or two on my blog, I am rather hesitant to spread my words all over other people's blogs.

Am I shy? No, quite the opposite. The reason has to do with the masses upon masses of information in cyberspace. Why keep on repeating the same stuff over and over, and many times it is not even re-packaged to be better?

But when I am offered such an opportunity, I would rather share a lesson learned. Some lessons come at a high price. Where I as an indie author can save another or aspiring author, time, money or prevent a mistake due to ignorance, it is time and words well spent.

See my latest lesson learned and backup plans for STORM, a project of the Pretoria Writers' Group coming in June.

If you would like to be a guest on my blog, I have a theme of TIME MANAGEMENT this year. Please contact my by leaving a comment here, on a message on Twitter (please use #LinzeB in the tweet) or Facebook.

I would love to have your perception, tips and tales on this very important topic in any person's life.

AtoZ Blog Challenge: F is for FAVOURITES

When I made a list of my A to Z Blog Challenge posts, I promised to add a more personal flavour to my blog. So here is a list of some of my favourites:

• Coffee: We all like coffee (it is as essential as oxygen to a writer) but my favourite is
  
  what we call an Americano here. It is known as a Tall Black in other countries. Yip, espresso topped with hot water. I drink it at home too - simply can't live without the stuff! 

• Vegetable: Ha, you didn't expect this one, did you? As a child I was a fussy eater, to my Mother's biggest frustration. No amount of bribing could convince me to eat veggies I didn't like...ever. But as a child and to this day, my favourite veggie is lettuce. All of the varieties, sweet to bitter - love 'em all! And am I still so fussy? Not at all. As a student I realised that I had nothing against the vegetables at all, I just hated them because of the ways they were cooked back then. When my Mother changed that (and she is a great cook, by the way) I converted with a smile.

• Colours: My favourite colour is black. I wear black, sometimes with a splash of something else, more than 90% of the time. The only time when I divert from that, is for a practical reason: my job requires spending time in one of the hottest parts of South Africa, and then my black clothing stays home.
  My second favourite colour is purple. I get ribbed about that one quite often, since I had my hair coloured purple and blue. Which reminds me, it is time for another touch up.

What are you favourites? Favourite food, your all time number one spice to cook with, and kick-back to relax alcoholic beverage?