Your Small Stone in a Book of the Best

It's tomorrow!

International Small Stones Writing Month starts HERE FIRST as the sun will rise in New Zealand on January 1st 2011 before anywhere else in the world. Now that rocks! :)

And a stone or two of YOURS could end up in a book. Yes, that's right - the organisers of a river of stones are looking to create a book at the end of the project. Read more about it here.

Tempted now?

How about the last of my 'small stone' warm ups for your reading pleasure:

waking up still excited by yesterday's new idea

And plenty more where that came from! Check in daily from tomorrow.

A Cure for Your Post-Party Blues

Christmas is over for another year, and 2010 will soon be a thing of the past. So what next?

Turn that lull into a beautiful thing with International Small Stones Writing Month starting January 1st 2011. You can join us 'stoners' here and get some bling for your blog here.

With only two days until the wave hits, here's one of my small stones to whet your appetite:

waiting for a blood test
every face is older than mine

Go here for more stones - peoples' recordings of their encounters with the present moment.

Testing, testing, one, two, three...

That's three days to a river of stones folks: the January writing project taking the world into the present moment by noticing bite-sized bits of the day and writing them down. Piece of cake! ;)

Here's me dipping my toe into the water with my first small stone, which I picked up and turned over on my way across the Kaimai Ranges yesterday morning:

following the summer rain a line of shorn sheep

Pick up a small stone today and join in the fun over at a river of stones

A Haiku for the Happy Couple

Today is my parents 40th wedding anniversary, so I'm heading to a gathering of family and friends at their home in the Waikato. I wrote this haiku to celebrate their day and it appears in a card from me and my siblings, along with our gift of a pohutukawa tree.

ruby anniversary
the colour of love
still in their cheeks

              Copyright © 2010 Kirsten Cliff

Merry Christmas Dear Readers

Wishing you all a safe and happy holiday season

from New Zealand

Thank you for your support of Swimming in Lines of Haiku.

Stop by again soon for more poetry, photography, literary news and views. Happy writing and reading to you! All the best, Kirsten

Giving Books for Christmas - my picks for your creative peeps

I love books, and can't help but dole them out at Christmas time. I buy most online at Fishpond so all my links point there. However you will also find same on Amazon, etc. Here are a few of my favourites for creative types...

• What We Ache For: Creativity and the Unfolding of Your Soul by Oriah
• The Art of Dreaming: A Creativity Toolbox for Dreamwork by Jill Mellick
• Art is a Way of Knowing: A guide to self-knowledge and spiritual fulfillment through creativity by Pat B. Allen
• And for the female writer, you can't go wrong with the Mslexia Writer's Diary.



Ever Heard of Cinquains?

Great post here by Joanna Preston on cinquains, a poetic from heavily influenced by Japanese poetry. Check out the post, read the examples, follow the links, and give it a go!

Count Me In!

Better than January resolutions... a river of stones is an international project organised by Fiona Robyn to encourage people to engage with the world through writing a short observational piece (a small stone) every day during January.

I have blogged before about Fiona Robyn's blogzine a handful of stones. Her creation of NaSmaStoMo (National Small Stones Writing Month) is a great way to bring new life into her 'small stone' philosophy and to engage the senses of people around the world.

Now you have two challenges to kick off 2011: NaSmaStoMo in January and NaHaiWriMo in February. So are you in?

                          

Haiku Graffiti Found on the Web

Still Trying to Wrap Your Head Around Haiku?

Then this is the article for you: Becoming a Haiku Poet by Michael Dylan Welch. It's everything you need to know to get started, set out clearly and with examples.

While at his website, stop and take a look around. There is much to read and ponder.

And if you're up for a challenge, Welch has started NaHaiWriMo - a haiku a day for the month of February. That's only 28 days people!

Quick Tip #3 for Freelance Writers

Write what you don't know but are interested in knowing.

Sick of writing what you know? Time to write about what you don't know but are interested in getting to know.

When I'm interested in something I'm determined to find out everything I can about it. I read from books and on-line, I talk to people, I try it out, I journal about the experience. I'm so passionate about the new love in my life that I can't stop thinking about it!

This enthusiasm for a new topic will come across in whatever you write about it, whether it's a how-to article, personal story or profile of an expert. Being new to the topic, you will ask questions that those more familiar with it may not. You will look at the topic from different angles than someone who's more experienced might.

Think of something you've always wanted to try or explore in more depth. Give it a whirl and write about it. It won't just open you up to a new world of experiences but open up your writing world too.

Sharing Haiku for National Jandal Day

summer solstice -
the slap slap
of jandals

Copyright © 2010 Kirsten Cliff
First published in Kokako 8 (April, 2008)


Today is New Zealand's National Jandal Day - Surf Life Saving's annual appeal day. Kiwi's are urged to wear jandals in support of these summer heroes who mark 100 years of service this season.

sunbathing topless
the sound of a lifeguard's
four-wheeler

Copyright © 2010 Kirsten Cliff
First published in Kokako 9 (September, 2008)