Inspiration | Advice, Truth, Writing Life

November is ending, so it’s time. Hello Inspiration Mosaic, and some links to must-check-out stuff below. I think it’s interesting how you can tell by the colors in these inspiration mosaics what season it is. Summers are much brighter than fall, winter is whites and christmassy colours – and then spring is greener. Fall is always very brown, as you can see.

Today is the beginning of Christmas count down, four weeks to go. And I thought I’d share some of my recent reads too…

Links to Advice, Truth and a bit about the Writing Life

1. Advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young
   Great article by Mary Schmich: Inside every adult lurks a graduation speaker dying to get out, some world-weary pundit eager to pontificate on life to young people who’d rather be Rollerblading.
2. The Truth About Knitting and Crochet… They are Good for You
   “Is knitting therapeutic? Heck yes. It’s a proven scientific fact, just like we know chocolate and red wine are good for us. Since turning my life over to yarn, I’ve talked to thousands of knitters who claim it’s cured everything from gout to their weight problems.
3. What It Takes to Be a Writer, Courtesy of Elizabeth Berg
   For starters, develop these skills…Observation, Panhandling, Imagination, Thick Skin, and a little Joy. It helps if you’re a crybaby, which is to say it helps if you feel things very deeply and respond to them, whether with actual tears or not. Says Elizabeth Berg, the author of twenty novels.
4. Interview with Elizabeth Gilbert
   Elizabeth Gilbert achieved great success with her memoir Eat Pray Love. Since the publication of that book, she has delivered two popular TED talks and written a second memoir entitled Committed and a novel called The Signature of All Things. Check out the highlights from our interview…
5. 5 Ways You’re Sabotaging Your Own Life (Without Knowing It)
   Willpower: When you were little and people asked you what you wanted to be when you grew up, what did you tell them? Did you stick with the standard “doctor” or “veterinarian,” or did you shoot for the moon with “pop star” or “astronaut”? Whatever it was, I’d say for about 95 percent of you the answer is….

Also, it’s time to start planning for next year, and if you haven’t got your Calendar ready you might want to check out my DIY Calendar Pages with lots of ideas on how to customize your own planner for next year. The pages for 2015 is in my etsy shop now.

I wish you a happy first of Advent!