Hampshire is a part of England. Southerly, I think? FayJay? Am-Chau? My hometown, Hampstead, a neighborhood of London, I think...

ita! You lived in Hampstead Garden Suburb? Damn, woman, our old postal code was first N10 (we were Muswell Hilbillies) and then down the hill slightly to N8. And Jo was born at Whittington.

Rebecca, damn.

Seconding the damn.

Trice.

my 5x7, unlined, ringbound journals

Carla, I started journaling this way, in a 3-ring 5x7 binder which was also my work day planner. I set aside a section for journaling at any time, anywhere. As I filled pages I'd remove and replace them. I bought paper stock that took fountain pen ink well, colors and textures I enjoyed, and had it cut to size and hole-punched at a printer's who did it free, for all the business my office did with him. When I had about an inch's thickness of written-on pages I'd bind them, cover hardboard or cardboard end boards with handmade paper, or giftwrap, or collage, and bind with twine or leather lacing. I still have those "journals." And I still use the planner, though now I journal elsewhere.

For those of you who like NaNoWriteMo, it's NaNoEdMo. [link]

Lizard, just fabulous.

Although...

it occurs to me that this thread hasn't seen poetry for a while.

::cough:: Except what I posted a few days ago.

Yes indeed, Steph posted some sensational poetry. Which means we've seen two good hits in damned near as many days.

Which makes me happy.

Rebecca, damn.

Woo. Thank you.

::cough:: Except what I posted a few days ago.

Oh, come on. This is the Internet; and the thread has been fast. A few days is months' worth in those conditions.

I love these: Aeolyta, Melosyne. Those are sensational names.

Thanks! I'm fond of them. The characters, too.

Hampshire is a part of England.

This is what I mean. New Hampshire was named because it had historic ties to another place in the world. Allow your fantasy world to have historic ties within itself. Let it move through time. That was my point, apologies if I waxed a little too rhetorical.

Bev, that's the way I had visions of writing. But when I tried, it turned out I intimidated myself with the pretty. I had to have a feeling of impermanence, editability. Hence, I have a bin full of post-consumer-recycled steno type pads, with pages falling off from use and storage. But I wrote freely, allowed myself the freedom to screw up and leave lovely unfinished bits for future use.

'Permission to screw up' is an important part of the creative process! I used to have a motto taped to the top of my writing computer: "This is cheap entertainment fiction. You are supposed to enjoy writing it" as a reminder that I didn't have to get all grim and earnest while writing.

"This is cheap entertainment fiction. You are supposed to enjoy writing it"

Absolutely. If I don't enjoy writing it, nobody will enjoy reading it.

I had to have a feeling of impermanence, editability.

What's more impermanent than electrons?