Tea Party Interview

Today I've invited my blog friend Jan Morrison of Crazy Jane blog over for virtual tea and treats.
Jan has a wealth of perspective to offer to our fellow writers.
Here's a picture of Jan, wearing a very cool knitted wig.




Hello Jan! I'd love to know how you started blogging.

I started Crazy Jane because it helps me with deadlines to have an immediate place I can set my intentions regarding writing or just about anything else. I love the immediacy of blog writing and the immediacy of the connection to others. I also like having a place to post my photos. I am mad for taking pictures and the blog and my favourite camera (Canon Rebel xti) came along at the same time. Coincidence? I don't think so...

Great reasons! So when do you write?

At my best, I write everyday up to a thousand words. This can go on for months and months and then I can hit a confusing place - where I'm not blocked exactly but where writing doesn't seem to get me where I want to go. I'll muddle along in this place for a month or two and then I'll shake it off and get back on the horse. I'm in one of those weird limbos now. I still write but not with the same daily schedule and I do a lot of flicking between one wip and another. So yep - on schedule and random. Oh, I do write EVERY Tuesday with my writing pal, Gwen. That is dependable and has been for nine years. Yay for that!

Where do you write?

I write in my home office at my desk on my computer. That is the best for me. I will write in coffee houses and other people's homes and I always write when I'm travelling - in any number of haphazard hard cover journals that I keep in a bookcase in my office. I have lots of pictures up over my desk and I also like to pin up my rejection letters.

Ooh, I like that! A rejection letters display.
So, your virtual tea party goodies look interesting . What are you having?

When I'm disciplined I don't eat wheat or sugar, so I'd be having oatcakes with stevia. When I'm undisciplined (do you see a theme developing?) I like madeleines, croissants and other french pastries that feed my fantasy of being in a garret in Paris... with very good espresso or jasmine tea. Ah!

I think I want to check out that Parisian garret, too! Something about the word garret...
"Garcon, I'll have some of the chocolat croissants s'il vous plait.."
How do you motivate yourself to write?

Disciplined me - 1,000 words a day. Undisciplined - whatever I can get through. I do want to finish the second book in my Kitty MacDonald mystery series by the end of spring. I want to go back to True (literary fiction that is about 200 pages done) and complete it. I am hoping to get onto a mentoring program for it. I've been practising my chops on the mystery series because structure is a problem for me and I thought it would help. I want to test that out by getting back into True and making it so! I also have a creative non-fiction project with the working title 'Sojourners' on the go. I have one book out looking for a home, The Rock Walkers, and I hope to hear soon. Is that a goal? Nah, it is a fingers-crossed, eyes squinched up plea to the universe. Let's leave it at that

.


And I thought my vague "get writing more, blockhead", was a good motivator. Maybe I need to switch to word counts.
What are your favorite things to do?

I love to read, I am mad for knitting, I like cooking especially with my sweet patootie. I love hanging out with my best girl friends and talking. I like gardening and taking care of my chickens. I like learning new things like the accordion. I love, love, love, being with my grandchildren - playing crazy games. I love to travel and this time of year I'm getting excited about getting out on the water in our row boat or one of our canoes. I like taking photos and going to the market with my step-daughter. I like meditating and reading dharma books. I love walking in the beautiful world, alone or with close friends. I like any sort of creating you can imagine - weaving, writing songs, making collages...and I adore writing which I've done since I was six or seven.

That sounds like a rich life! What are your least favorite things to do?

my taxes and other grown-up activities, driving on icy roads and although I love flying and travelling - I hate the poopy stuff around it these days (security etc...)

What do you love to write about, and in what genre?

Good complicated people who struggle and succeed and fail with abandon. Literary fiction and mysteries. I also write plays and those have been mainly musicals.

How would you complete this sentence : "On a perfect day, I --"

write, I walk, I meditate, I play, I love, I laugh and I sleep the sleep of the just!

Aah, sleep. In my world these days, any sleep is the sleep of the just - preferably six uninterrupted hours of it!
What's your guilty pleasure?

I've been known to fall prey to various games on the internet or computer - solitaire, farming on facebook (gawd that was terrible) and years ago The Sims completely took me away into cult land. I also like buying big stupid magazines!

Thanks for sharing a taste of your life and writing secrets, Jan. It's a delight to hear more from one of my favorite bloggers!
Cheers! [clink of tea cups here.]