tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27414636098980644332024-03-13T20:45:47.003-07:00Robyn L. Coburn WriterCreative writing....Writings on creativity and my books.
A writer needs a platformRobyn Coburn Writer/Artisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17118929626629581261noreply@blogger.comBlogger112125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2741463609898064433.post-45376743491619893452023-02-24T13:44:00.002-08:002023-02-24T13:44:56.934-08:00This will be the last post on this neglected blog<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe5oKulbx3-scA8t4rw7Wy58_wu4XCbgX8ku7Xp_yeBRPfo5KKkgdow0qxqMj7lMHNDyhpRai8ISCOIr71XRARMkNz7sM_oXEaAs3Yi2d5eiR2Hr8uxPq2Q5vg8ouekiieJTmVzyRZVn5SNSo7Ur0vmI4IA-9pjOozB_qO2ybbR3Stix8INec5rTvh/s3088/IMG_7274.JPEG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2320" data-original-width="3088" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe5oKulbx3-scA8t4rw7Wy58_wu4XCbgX8ku7Xp_yeBRPfo5KKkgdow0qxqMj7lMHNDyhpRai8ISCOIr71XRARMkNz7sM_oXEaAs3Yi2d5eiR2Hr8uxPq2Q5vg8ouekiieJTmVzyRZVn5SNSo7Ur0vmI4IA-9pjOozB_qO2ybbR3Stix8INec5rTvh/w461-h340/IMG_7274.JPEG" width="461" /></a></div><p></p><p>...before I essentially close it down. I need my custom URL for something better. </p><p>I've grabbed all the posts that have actual content rather than being announcements.</p><p>It's pretty sobering to see the projects abandoned (many with great ideas), the issues of time management and motivation that I still struggle with, and the sad realization that hardly anyone read any of this in the past, and certainly no-one reads it now. </p><p>Yes, yes, I know - "consistency and nurture your email list".</p><p>So much of this was from before social media took over most of people's reading time. </p><p>And yet there is one obscure little paragraph from 2011 in there that asks where do I want to be in 10 years time. I'm coming back a little late, but hey nobody predicted a global pandemic. Here were my answers - so about half-ish of them, some that I reached partially, and some that I don't really mind about anymore. </p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.68; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><br /></p><p><span id="docs-internal-guid-f4423a76-7fff-97fc-e544-09f1b41e8e90"></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.68; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: magenta; color: #444444; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Still alive and healthy</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #444444; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span><span style="background-color: #ead1dc; color: #444444; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Watching my daughter's dreams coming alive</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #444444; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span><span style="background-color: magenta; color: #444444; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A published book author</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #444444; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. A produced screenwriter. </span><span style="background-color: #d5a6bd; color: #444444; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Having exhibited in art galleries</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #444444; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, possibly sold some work to a permanent collection in the public art sphere. A member of a </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #444444; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><strike>couple of</strike></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #444444; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> really high end </span><span style="background-color: magenta; color: #444444; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">manufacturer's design teams in the paper crafting world</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #444444; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. A successful entrepreneur with three business lines flourishing – </span><a href="http://www.iggyjingles.blogspot.com/" style="background-color: white; text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #336699; font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Iggy Jingles Crafts</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #444444; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">,</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #444444; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: line-through; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><a href="http://www.robyncrops.com/" style="background-color: white; text-decoration: none;"><span style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: #336699; font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: line-through; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Robyn Crops</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #444444; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: line-through; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> custom scrapbooks</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #444444; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, and </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #444444; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><strike>something educational I'm not ready to announce quite yet – but I hope it will be a boon to parents and students everywhere.</strike></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #444444; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Oh yes – and </span><span style="background-color: magenta; color: #444444; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">living in a house with an actual dedicated studio/workshop space attached.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.68; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: magenta; color: #444444; font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.68; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">Buy my art at <a href="http://IggyJingles.com">IggyJingles.com</a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.68; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">Go to <a href="http://DervishDust.com">DervishDust.com</a> to find a discount code to buy my book direct from the publisher.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.68; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">Go <a href="https://view.flodesk.com/pages/623a4d3de4da3a4464c30d70" target="_blank">here to sign up for my email list</a> to get free art, creativity prompts and more of my writing</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.68; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">Go here for <a href="http://www.WorkInProduction.com" target="_blank">Resume Review</a>, my entertainment career coaching site.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.68; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.68; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJg0v_yvxgYdI_YF01kpG_SW54E9FKEHdeEibeFxDSbU368Rr3FekyCzVOVoNN7xYU_3Q_PEuM8sS8nnieFZnUbz8b5ET_SSQL3uubx9vrDgypUedBSvD-k-94iJ9QaI3hwE0RBi0KfVkiRwjhy4Td5HItWrq5hjEoJT5aEcTTLZrod07Tcte2qFpE/s4032/IMG_7547.JPEG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="460" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJg0v_yvxgYdI_YF01kpG_SW54E9FKEHdeEibeFxDSbU368Rr3FekyCzVOVoNN7xYU_3Q_PEuM8sS8nnieFZnUbz8b5ET_SSQL3uubx9vrDgypUedBSvD-k-94iJ9QaI3hwE0RBi0KfVkiRwjhy4Td5HItWrq5hjEoJT5aEcTTLZrod07Tcte2qFpE/w345-h460/IMG_7547.JPEG" width="345" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.68; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.68; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></p>Robyn Coburn Writer/Artisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17118929626629581261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2741463609898064433.post-77851025010555652242021-05-18T15:51:00.001-07:002021-05-18T15:51:32.990-07:00Cover Reveal<p> Here it is! </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/potomac-books/9781640124059/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU6HV_aNmp7Ta3QR1gZphtv0wWrbvlhlpmxfQiQDwPAuHZIyKrn5HjQhnlHPV9W5yzHaRKTDAiWdSwANVIFXzcT3qjv0xfKbOa1I5p-EKNoU_gQDHgcqkBIR6C6tRM6dW2C77KpTW662E/w426-h640/9781640124059+%25281%2529.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Robyn Coburn Writer/Artisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17118929626629581261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2741463609898064433.post-63759658365447100642021-03-31T14:31:00.000-07:002021-03-31T14:31:00.060-07:00My Experience with a Writers' Group <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf8k42-CJiIyJlu2rudA9s-sifA0oXZRuYhSOgMkcUsPogIa2GQSMBOIdAnXpIS6FVtw7lDmJpeRmbbLJQvg5b5HU92thTu54cboLPTjHaOVaTgdg21kDfHg9AzzdzjQRFIGwQ3QWTJbg/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1280" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf8k42-CJiIyJlu2rudA9s-sifA0oXZRuYhSOgMkcUsPogIa2GQSMBOIdAnXpIS6FVtw7lDmJpeRmbbLJQvg5b5HU92thTu54cboLPTjHaOVaTgdg21kDfHg9AzzdzjQRFIGwQ3QWTJbg/w381-h254/screenplay-2651055_1280.jpg" width="381" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Image by Oli Lynch via <a href="Image by <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/olilynch-3815693/?utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=image&amp;utm_content=2651055">Oli Lynch</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com/?utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=image&amp;utm_content=2651055">Pixabay</a>" target="_blank">Pixabay</a></span></div><p></p><p>Spoiler alert: it's fantastic! </p><p>Fear of looking foolish, and the misguided notion that I should be self-sufficient, but mostly fear, stopped me from seeking out and joining a support group. I am also a bit shy, so it was hard to embrace the concept of joining something established where everyone knew each other.</p><p>Enter the brilliant networking and advocacy group <a href="http://womennmedia.com" target="_blank">Women in Media</a>, which I thoroughly recommend for any woman/woman identifying person working at any level in film or television. They inaugurated a writers' program last year, just in time for the pandemic, and created a system of writer's groups. </p><p>Here's what was neat about it - they assigned us to brand new groups of mostly strangers (in my case all strangers) taking all the hard work out of it. We then determined our goals for the group, worked out our own schedule of meeting, style of group, and the focus. I feel like our group captured lighting in a bottle. I love these women, who all have unique and beautiful points of view. A couple of folks had different preferences, but now we have settled into a routine, embraced the occasional new member, and helped each other to all kinds of writing successes. </p><p>For me, I have been encouraged and inspired to rethink my middle grade novel, rework some aspects of my fractured fairy tale story, and to commit to making my short film. It really has been wonderful, to also feel that I have been of some use to others. Even just hearing my work read aloud by other people is valuable, let alone the golden feedback I have received. </p><p>So my advice to new writers, of any kind, is to find and join a group - or start one. <b>Here are some tips</b> that I have gained from the experience of others and my own.</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Aside from the practical considerations of time and schedule, <b>set expectations from the start</b> about what kind of projects you will discuss. We do mostly scripts, with some treatments (and I had my own novels that I was working on adapting to scripts.)</li><li><b>Plan the meeting structure.</b> How many pages will you read each session? How many writers will you critique? How do you decide who goes first? Will you be reading aloud during the meeting, or reading in advance (or both)? Does the writer get to make remarks, rebut or ask questions, or are they more of a fly-on-the-wall? </li><li><b>Embrace technology.</b> We meet via Zoom, have a Google Drive designated for pre-loading the pieces, and have a private Facebook Group for general discussion of other matters. One person sends a group email with the reminder and the link (we meet every other week), which allows us to RSVP as well. So far we have cancelled altogether only once when it turned out that only two people were available that week. Honestly meeting via Zoom is something that I enjoy even without the lockdown. It's so much easier than getting in the car and going someplace - plus our members are all over the country. </li><li><b>Set up a time in the future</b> - either a date, or after a set number of meetings - to officially evaluate how things are going, and if you want to continue. In our case, so far, the idea of stopping makes us very sad. </li><li>Allow a specified time for each discussion and consider adding a few minutes for <b>other business or announcements </b>at the end too. That works well for our group. </li></ul><p></p><p>Being part of a group has given me a kind of accountability that I value - you know that I also recommend a writing buddy, especially if you have a deadline. But it has also given me inspiration and what feel like a bunch of new friends. Like I said, we are all over , but I hope I can meet every one of these people and host them in my home at some point in the future. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Robyn Coburn Writer/Artisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17118929626629581261noreply@blogger.com0Los Angeles, CA, USA34.0522342 -118.24368495.7420003638211554 -153.3999349 62.362468036178846 -83.0874349tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2741463609898064433.post-53119311970839216232021-03-26T17:05:00.005-07:002021-03-26T17:05:48.706-07:00Speaking at a Home Education Conference in May<p style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="LIFE is Good Conference" class="header-image" height="64" src="http://lifeisgoodconference.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/cropped-banner-3.png" width="400" /></p><p>I'm excited to be speaking once again at <a href="http://lifeisgoodconference.com/" target="_blank">LIFE is Good Unschooling Conference</a>, alongside my daughter, at the end of May. This year the conference has gone completely virtual - which will allow us to reach a worldwide audience. </p><p>If you wish to learn about the homeschooling method and lifestyle known as Unschooling, from the point of view of parents and families who have been doing successfully for many years, this is a great conference. There will be speakers, Q&A and discussion sessions, and various entertaining virtual funshops. </p><p>I will be speaking about our unschooling journey, and also presenting about first jobs and resumes. This is the writing that I will be thinking about for the next few weeks. As well, my daughter and will be doing a joint Q&A - something we have done before, and which people seem to enjoy.</p><p>So please check out the conference site if this sounds like an interesting event. </p><p><br /></p>Robyn Coburn Writer/Artisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17118929626629581261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2741463609898064433.post-80901281217350846702021-03-19T13:39:00.001-07:002021-03-19T13:41:00.534-07:00Latest updates including for Dervish Dust<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV6ZURCngKG_5QehyphenhyphenL0LI-8z_mHnoVNPWx1quuHX6UKgN3g74sz3FwBC6P0kLUI0prVXAuO4sA-K1pQzdhaXzm9mw4Jzl2iYbQmydcYXriFivM-1F6-0vTeKyPZULz76q76npyhjoaE0E/s4032/IMG_2707.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="361" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV6ZURCngKG_5QehyphenhyphenL0LI-8z_mHnoVNPWx1quuHX6UKgN3g74sz3FwBC6P0kLUI0prVXAuO4sA-K1pQzdhaXzm9mw4Jzl2iYbQmydcYXriFivM-1F6-0vTeKyPZULz76q76npyhjoaE0E/w271-h361/IMG_2707.HEIC" width="271" /></a></div><p>I'm excited to tell you that we have moved into the next phase with the James Coburn biography, which is the final edit. The lovely people at <a href="https://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/potomac/" target="_blank">Potomac Books </a>have been utterly delightful and supportive.</p><p>We had some discussions about the possibility of changing the title, but we all agreed to keep <i>Dervish Dust: The Life and Words of James Coburn</i> - it really was what he wanted his memoirs to be called.</p><p><b>And, y'all the cover is going to be beautiful! </b>An unusual image and really classy lettering and color choices. I will be doing a cover reveal soon, as well as announcing the new website for the book, where you will be able to sign up for pre-ordering news and what I hope will be some neat little gifts for the early purchasers. I will be showing some images that did not make it into the book on that new website, as well as some extra stories - so that will be fun for the fans. So far everyone who has read the book has been pleased overall. </p><p>In other news, I am writing a short film script with the intention of directing it myself. I will be looking at starting pre-production by the end of the year, and will be spending the next few months putting together a team. The current working title is "Authorized Personnel Only" but don't get attached to that.</p><p>And finally the other ongoing writing projects I have are still <i>Mermaid Lake</i> rumbling along and working with my husband on his upcoming new textbook about Production Sound - <i>Sound Mixing the Coburn Way</i>. This book will not only teach people about recording sound for film, but also have some neat stories from sets and James' travels. </p><h4 style="text-align: left;">About Photos and Images</h4><p>In my naivete, I had no idea how tough and lengthy the process of securing permissions and licenses for photos would be. A writer is entirely at the mercy of other people's timelines. I tend to think that the Covid-19 pandemic added time too, as people were working from home, and some folks were furloughed leaving the ongoing workload to be taken on by fewer individuals. In the end we found a range of price points, and some very kind fans among both the photographers and studio licensing folk who gave us great deals, and have helped to make this book really fun. The easiest thing - working with photographers' agencies who have all the procedures in place, as well as the photos in high definition.</p><p>(The image on this post is one of Dad's last headshots - but it is not part of the book, which means I can use it here.)</p><p>It has been a learning experience about scanning quality - and more props to my daughter who knows how to do some of the graphics things like increasing image sizes for printing. Most of our images are in great condition and were able to be scanned at 600dpi - only some of the very oldest are damaged or blurry on the actual print that we have. But that sometimes adds to the authenticity of the family photo.</p><p>So the learning experience is don't leave this task until late, but start the process early, set aside some money in your budget for the purpose, and keep a good track of where you find images. Scan the backs as well if they have information on them, and remember to check your scanner settings. Lastly, it seems that publishers like TIFF files for images. Read your publisher's guidelines to confirm the sizes and settings required. You lose nothing by sending a higher definition image than the minimum. </p><p>You will be able to buy this book very soon! Yay. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Robyn Coburn Writer/Artisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17118929626629581261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2741463609898064433.post-60649238055587323532020-06-18T08:57:00.000-07:002020-06-18T10:43:08.355-07:00Research, Writing and Memories<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9T6SLkps9_iYjRDP6pqe_xPdYLTaQe2dTc8EoNwsDXegu7BI_3c16i6vKuGUN0C923ahwrFNwaxPpCLJBjSQIt2rfH7mu7DK5zuf8CnW7C7EQzvhNM7RlsWLBv607V-Fru8o4sWw8_D0/s1600/Coburn+in+costume+talking+with+Don+Siegel+-+HELL+IS+FOR+HEROES.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9T6SLkps9_iYjRDP6pqe_xPdYLTaQe2dTc8EoNwsDXegu7BI_3c16i6vKuGUN0C923ahwrFNwaxPpCLJBjSQIt2rfH7mu7DK5zuf8CnW7C7EQzvhNM7RlsWLBv607V-Fru8o4sWw8_D0/s400/Coburn+in+costume+talking+with+Don+Siegel+-+HELL+IS+FOR+HEROES.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">James Coburn in costume- <i>Hell</i> <i>is</i> <i>for</i> <i>Heroes</i> (1962)</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’m currently working with my publisher, <a href="https://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/potomac/" target="_blank">Potomac Books</a>, to finalize the content and design of </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dervish Dust: The Life and Words of James Coburn</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. I’m so glad that my employer, the James and Paula Coburn Foundation who commissioned the book, had a good lawyer who was able to give guidance on legal issues.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One of these is that of interviewee clearances. When you are working on a nonfiction book and plan to cite interviewed sources, it's a good idea to have a clearance form available at the time. This is a simple legal document that people sign giving you permission to use their words. It means that later on you don't have to scramble when the publisher asks you about it.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I was writing a fact-based book, that included research that was backed up by documents such as dates stamped in passports and published newspaper articles, as well as paperwork from movie productions, such as call sheets and the daily production report. This meant that it was easy to fact-check and cross reference the recollections of individuals. I was fortunate in one aspect, which is that director Sam Peckinpah was notorious for keeping every scrap of paper that he ever made a mark on or crossed his desk, all of which can be found in his files at the Margaret Herrick Library. I'm told that his section is 75 linear feet of papers. I think I already mentioned, but it bears repeating, write down ALL the details of any published source you use for your footnotes/endnotes. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">However, sometimes fact-checking is impossible, when there are no actual written sources referring to events that happened 50 years ago. Does this mean that opinions or recollections cannot be included? No, but it means that you should say that it is a person’s memory or belief, or otherwise express that this is a rumor, or “reportedly”, or “generally believed”. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If two people have different recollections, it's okay to say so. That the other person recalls an event differently, may even make the story more interesting. Sometimes it was a case of another family member saying that's not how that happened. It is up to you to determine whether you are going to dispute the storyteller in the main text, or add it as a footnote that another person has a different recollection of the event. In my case I was writing a biography that was based on James Coburn's memoirs. I was reiterating what he recalled about events, so if another family member had a different recollection, in the absence of written sources, the dispute usually tended to go into the notes.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sometimes a person's recollection was just completely wacky compared to what other people knew to have occurred, or the differences were of tiny and minor details between two individuals who had been there. If the details were unimportant to the story, I just left them out altogether rather than have a bone of contention. For example, this was the case with the color of one particular car belonging to Paula, unlike Jim’s cars, the colors of which were mentioned often in various sources.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The most important thing I learned was about memory. Memory is very malleable. We know this from researchers examining how memories are formed, how they are held, and how they can change over time. In this case I was writing a book that was founded upon a man's memories sometimes going back over 65 years of his life. What I realized in going over Jim's memoirs, that he had recorded in response to conversational prompts from an interviewer, was that people often forget factual details, such as dates. What they remember are their emotions - how they felt, what they focused on that made an emotional connection with them. They will remember events, but not necessarily the exact sequence.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For example , Jim had very strong recollections of his first trip from Laurel to Compton, when his family moved. His memories were a series of vignettes of moments that made an impression on him, made him laugh, things that he specifically noticed in the context of the people that he was traveling with - his father, his aunt, and his mother. However, what he couldn't remember accurately was how old he was. His age went variously from being 4, 5, or 6. He just had a vague recollection that it was early in his life. Thanks to research and the prominence of the Coburn family in Laurel, so that their doings were mentioned in the local newspaper, I was able to pinpoint the exact date that they left because it was written down.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dervish Dust: The Life and Words of James Coburn</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is scheduled to be published in Fall 2021.</span>Robyn Coburn Writer/Artisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17118929626629581261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2741463609898064433.post-29738432066129662982020-06-04T13:45:00.006-07:002020-06-18T10:39:06.769-07:00A High Wind in Jamaica (1965) - a Personal Response<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDHDJ3Hzr-8iwrCZ51oH6e7Sd2QLmV5bzIVRN33J1QCdQwAxutbNSAFBdxxQVlps-l2lDTKpvWrraFWEUKtTiOeA5FOptKz_Ad8pVpGzsGigxpSYBtVN8XrBuicxJmlpjc15ajjI04Xas/s1600/IMG_2672.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDHDJ3Hzr-8iwrCZ51oH6e7Sd2QLmV5bzIVRN33J1QCdQwAxutbNSAFBdxxQVlps-l2lDTKpvWrraFWEUKtTiOeA5FOptKz_Ad8pVpGzsGigxpSYBtVN8XrBuicxJmlpjc15ajjI04Xas/s400/IMG_2672.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Well known publicity still from the film, in the JPCF archive</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">A High Wind in Jamaica</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; w"> was released in 1965, but I know that I didn’t see it in the cinema since I would have been only four at the time. I must have seen it when it turned up on television a few years later. I'm not even sure what country I was living in at the time. But I know it made a strong impression on me as a child.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I always loved seeing movies about children, with child actors. Since I was a little girl, I nursed an ambition to be an actress myself. For my entire childhood, I never wavered in that idea and even went to acting school as a young adult. I ended up discovering the technical and design side of Performing Arts, but that's another story. The point was I wanted to be acting myself as a child, but never had the opportunity.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I always loved seeing films about children behaving with autonomy. When I saw </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A High Wind In Jamaica</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, I was disappointed that the children ended up back with their parents in the end. When Deborah Baxter's Emily stared at the toy sailboat in the pond in London at the end of the movie, I saw a longing in her eyes. I always imagined that the character would, as soon as she was old enough, run away to return to the Sea, or return to island life at least. She would grow up to be a strange girl with odd ideas, hard to marry off.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The intent of the original book, which Alexandra Mackendrick described as a “strange little Masterpiece”, and of the movie, was to posit the idea that children were inherent savages that would revert to barbarism without the guiding hand of paternalistic adults. Pirates represented the ever-so-thin demarcation line between civilized and uncivilized grownups. For me, the idea of children being free to be whatever they wanted, pursue their own interests, and be taken care of by people who regarded them as interesting in themselves, was fascinating. I didn't see this movie as a cautionary tale at all.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">To me the pirates were nice, and mostly kindly. They protected the children most of the time. And while it was based in superstition, many of the Pirates seem to regard the children as powerful. James Coburn portrayed what might be considered the villain of the piece, other than maybe the authorities. His character, first mate Zac, never warmed to the children in the way the Captain did. Zac was not amused at having a bunch of kids underfoot in the workplace, which was hardly a stretch for the actor, and felt their presence was dangerous. His foreboding unfortunately was justified. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">As a child watching the film, I didn’t care that the pirates were actually trying to return the children to safety, and missed that the children had been presumed killed. Their parents were representatives of the authoritarian culture the kids were escaping. It took becoming an adult to realize that some people don’t care if they kill children, and to feel some sympathy for those poor frantic parents.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I remember as a child being infuriated that Emily was so stupid and tongue-tied on the stand in the trial. I was baffled as to why someone who I saw as being my age at the time was so incapable of speaking coherently. I remember thinking along the lines of, “Why don't you just tell them you were afraid of the Dutch Captain? Why don't you admit you did it? They won’t put you in jail - you are a kid. Why don't you tell the story more clearly?” I felt like she could have saved them, but in the end, she was just a foolish little girl. In my mind, she had squandered the opportunity to be free. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The movie did not do well in theaters, because it was poorly marketed leading to mistaken expectations from the audience. The reviews reflected the confusion about what kind of movie it was supposed to be. Perhaps it could have gone darker, to be closer to the original material. Alexander Mackendrick later opined that great books shouldn't be made into movies, but mediocre books could become great ones. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">James Coburn admired his directing style tremendously, and had a very good time on that shoot. He enjoyed being in Jamaica with his entire family, enjoyed working with Anthony Quinn even though they had very different approaches, and knew that the film was yet another important turning point in his career and march towards leading man status. </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 14.6667px;">There are some behind-the-scenes stories about this film shoot collected in the book.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I still enjoy watching it when I see it. I love the color palette, the mis-en-scene, the ragged interpretation of clothing from the 1870s. I still feel a tug of yearning longing to go back in time and magically be a little girl who could run away from the responsibility to be well-behaved. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuJY5KvozdFboh_kdPyCmvZEU0cWBoSOPajPMM-NObFvb1aclgJ5R5DnsfJHqO8mK89ASaVvHUwGfU3Mzggx0TU0Fh8uzDAXGIYlqsTPXUhfzFibYHt0QuFWt5mYB9BSmucveqESmrBAU/s1600/High+wind+children.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuJY5KvozdFboh_kdPyCmvZEU0cWBoSOPajPMM-NObFvb1aclgJ5R5DnsfJHqO8mK89ASaVvHUwGfU3Mzggx0TU0Fh8uzDAXGIYlqsTPXUhfzFibYHt0QuFWt5mYB9BSmucveqESmrBAU/s400/High+wind+children.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Robyn Coburn Writer/Artisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17118929626629581261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2741463609898064433.post-92188452775046717752020-05-13T12:40:00.000-07:002020-05-13T12:40:44.126-07:00Announcing <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/DervishDust/?modal=admin_todo_tour" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="536" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTpGoBxBrYiPyXKQXtEBotBmW_9oHw9m7etJtC-YYKjyQhcJ3Px-H0Ob0bqiU48O_QUymzMU0t1S_iJdM5vJOFdus-w8xpAdm4b7WH56c1fpy_1iaWbY6KbCgs0dqZPtsZK-cVfdiAFS4/s640/ANNOUNCING....jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Robyn Coburn Writer/Artisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17118929626629581261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2741463609898064433.post-79673386301107509512020-03-21T19:39:00.000-07:002020-03-21T19:46:13.524-07:00My Tips for Effective Historical Research Notes<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk-5JVPwNqXkGL03G59atQ6i5OTdeoYEARiqJ1cDfS-9pcW3lR4cXqhqxpmHmPbc4foB0olP6RzGeQJB8zuCadl080qgIlWe28XBSIKBp1KvSR4Jse1sGv6plESGIovI4B4Ua0RIPWUSU/s1600/IMG_2366.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk-5JVPwNqXkGL03G59atQ6i5OTdeoYEARiqJ1cDfS-9pcW3lR4cXqhqxpmHmPbc4foB0olP6RzGeQJB8zuCadl080qgIlWe28XBSIKBp1KvSR4Jse1sGv6plESGIovI4B4Ua0RIPWUSU/s400/IMG_2366.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here is just a small stack of the notebooks and tablets I used</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">When I was writing the biography, I had access to some existing research that included interview transcripts, material on tape, and collated records of old newspaper articles from an out-of-State archive. After reading through all that, in addition, I spent a considerable amount of time going through physical paperwork and records at a couple of different libraries that hold archives from filmmakers and organizations, as well as doing my own interviews. </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I also did online research at various sites, most of them membership/subscription services. Finally, I spent quite a lot of time reading magazines and books either in physical form or digitally. The latter was easier because I could use a search term to discover useful quotes.</span>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I learned a few tricks using Google searches and I got good at scanning written material quickly. I also learned the enormous value of having an index in your non-fiction book. After some trial and error, here's what I learned about </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">how to organize </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">research </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">notes when you are writing Creative nonfiction, or a historical novel or anything that relies on research.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Keep very meticulous notes about the sources of your research </span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Not everything will be quoted and have a footnote/endnote, but additional sources should be included in your bibliography. I recommend having </span><i style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">a dedicated notebook</i><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> for this purpose. I also wrote down all that information on the page of my research notebook (a composition book) with my notes from the source.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Go to the opening dedication page with all the publication information. Note the </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>full name</i></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> of all the authors or editors, </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>the publisher and the city</i></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> in which they are based, the </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>month and year</i></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> of publication (even though most of the time you will only write down the year.) Note the </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>chapter and page numbers</i></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> that you read, especially for any quotes that you will use. For e-books, there probably won't be a page number, but there still should be a chapter. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When you are looking at books online, including Kindle books at Amazon, you can scroll all the way down below the publisher's blurb and summary of the book, to find the publication information.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When you are planning to quote from a magazine, you need t</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>he name of the article writ</i></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>er</i></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> if it is available (sometimes there won't be a byline and it will say "Staff Writer"), the name of the </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>publication </i></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">of course, the </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>volume number</i></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> if available, and the </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>date of publication</i></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. You also want the </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>title of the article. </i></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Don’t neglect to write that down because writers or columnists often have multiple articles in a publication.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you are planning to photocopy or tear out sheets from a magazine that you are for your files, also keep the front cover and the publishing information page - that is sometimes before the contents or at the end of the magazine - along with the relevant pages. In the James Coburn archives, I found a number of magazine articles where they kept only the pages of the article, and I had to do a lot of detective work to ascertain the actual publication. In the end, I had one magazine where I couldn't tell you the issue even though I did manage to work out which magazine it was. This is especially important when a magazine has ceased publication and no longer has accessible archives. Letters didn't produce a response. Of course, I could have traveled to London and visited a library there, but sometimes you just have to get on with the writing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you are using online sources including blogs for your research material, it is important to make a note of the </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>writer</i></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, the </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>blog title,</i></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and the </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>title of the specific post</i></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, plus the </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>date of posting</i></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Write down the </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>full web address of the relevant item</i></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, and </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>the date that you looked it up</i></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. The date when you “accessed” the material is part of the footnote. When you come to publish your book, it is worth revisiting the sites to ensure that the blog post is still available. You can either update the date visited, or if the link is now broken, it's okay to say so.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4OUs32GK0DptCw96yFW26AnH1l6m8IFlQnVgkbcAY_F5-xf-Ns38kCClxLvCGo6h77hpCBzizzVmndUX2b_DJgrkm3oX-P1sswKy6Q1AnSMwlgnyaCVlTnuJJi43wh8MSSozVxreHWqs/s1600/IMG_2365.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4OUs32GK0DptCw96yFW26AnH1l6m8IFlQnVgkbcAY_F5-xf-Ns38kCClxLvCGo6h77hpCBzizzVmndUX2b_DJgrkm3oX-P1sswKy6Q1AnSMwlgnyaCVlTnuJJi43wh8MSSozVxreHWqs/s320/IMG_2365.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pencil notes</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The point of footnotes/endnotes is to ensure that you are following fair use guidelines, giving credit properly where it is due, to avoid any accusation of plagiarism, and so that interested people can check on your research and follow it back.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">When you are doing research for your own fiction writing purposes, you are less likely to cite sources in your story. However, it's good to keep the records so that in the future you can find your material again, direct anyone who queries you to the research, and who knows, maybe one day you will write a non-fiction piece about the world that your book is set in. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Make your research time productive</span></h3>
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<div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: 400;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Research can be so seductive. I found that I would go off on long rabbit-hole tangents exploring all kinds of interesting tidbits that were not actually useful for the biographical narrative that I was writing. If you have a time limit, it's important to be aware of how much of a time suck or procrastination tool research can be.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I recommend that you keep a notebook for your ongoing research that is immediately relevant, and another notebook for sources and ideas that you might wish to revisit at a later time when your main project or assignment is completed. The research is not going to go away. You can always return to the library, the website, or the book later.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Here’s is a cheat for research: </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">When searching on Google, do a Google Books search. This will access other things than just books, including magazines and some journals.</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When you click on the link to the Google Books page for a particular source, you can often then put specific search terms into the box. Most of the time the searches are limited because of copyright, but you can usually read some of the pages. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Then, you can take the book title that you have discovered, and go to Amazon and find the listing there. Go to the Hardcover if available, and do a “Look Inside”. Most of the time the e-book format will only show the first 10% of the book and the back cover, but the hardcover will allow searching with a search box. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I found that between the two ways of looking inside books, I was able to find the occasional quote, or ascertain quickly whether this book was worth purchasing or finding at the library because it had a lot of useful content.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Useful websites</span></h3>
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<div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: 400;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://newspaperarchive.com/" target="_blank">NewspaperArchive.com</a>, <a href="http://newspapers.com/" target="_blank">Newspapers.com</a> and <a href="http://ancestry.com/" target="_blank">Ancestry.com</a>’s document search features were crucial for me to find material and documents related to my research. These are subscription services. Another helpful place is the <a href="https://www.archives.gov/" target="_blank">National Archives.</a> When you find documents online within an archive, it is important to make detailed notes of where they come from for your citations. For example the “author” of the Census is the United States government. (BTW, Ancestry.com has the Census searchable by name; the National Archives does not, yet. Sometimes you have to consider which factor you want to save - time or money.)</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiVvShJG-jyH4C2rqGKW0i06cGr1FC93kVzX3XEJFuadxBpvsnkOEUEmGlqehS1JbxrjwcZmdryu5jNxehUnv68R43_6dPyq8-GfeICq9mXgWv85boXMJF52vCViyX6pLxGIa913RzpGs/s1600/IMG_2367.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiVvShJG-jyH4C2rqGKW0i06cGr1FC93kVzX3XEJFuadxBpvsnkOEUEmGlqehS1JbxrjwcZmdryu5jNxehUnv68R43_6dPyq8-GfeICq9mXgWv85boXMJF52vCViyX6pLxGIa913RzpGs/s320/IMG_2367.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">US Census Page</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The </span><a href="https://www.loc.gov/collections/" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank">Library of Congress</a><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> also has archives. And many countries have an archived system connected to their own government and civil records.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Final thoughts</b></span></h3>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Every day more and more material is becoming digitized and is available online for free or via subscriptions. Digital catalogs at libraries are also becoming more common. I found the search feature at the Margaret Herrick Library invaluable. I was able to reserve items from various Collections and then go into the library to have them ready for me to access. By the way, check the rules at whichever Library you plan to visit before you go. At Margaret Herrick they don't allow ink pens of any kind. They do supply pencils, but I prefer my own. They also don't allow phones, so be sure to tell people that you won't be available for certain amounts of time. They do supply lockers for you to keep your stuff in, and let you use your laptop.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Your librarian can be your best friend. They can often have a greater understanding of what is inside the stacks and research collections, beyond Search terms you may have thought of when exploring the catalog.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Having visual material can be helpful too. I use Pinterest to hold research material that I wish to explore more of on a secret board. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Good luck with your research - remember KEEP COPIOUS NOTES and record all details of your citations. </span></div>
Robyn Coburn Writer/Artisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17118929626629581261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2741463609898064433.post-66887339481916143842020-02-29T17:56:00.001-08:002020-03-01T16:29:13.815-08:00Book Excerpt - my middle grade fantasy series - "Mermaid Summer"<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-indent: 36pt;">
Here is Chapter 1, of Book One of my middle grade fantasy series (Mermaid Lake series), <i><b>Mermaid Summer</b></i>. That is probably the only part that is close to being ready. Can you possibly guess what the main book is about? I'm having fun writing this, and it may become something one day. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrz2cuR8VVTU4Bbb_rCLxHRgAXgMVl6uHuPC9ea0VVv6HEhFwrWdjoxdwO16pS-WovmWEffePayHvwThdRLtE7N0yc2gAnzeHHRiSSPyHbBwNaSyCWUVQJ6P1qadeTk-xOAa-CljfCmzw/s1600/trees-4511721_640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="640" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrz2cuR8VVTU4Bbb_rCLxHRgAXgMVl6uHuPC9ea0VVv6HEhFwrWdjoxdwO16pS-WovmWEffePayHvwThdRLtE7N0yc2gAnzeHHRiSSPyHbBwNaSyCWUVQJ6P1qadeTk-xOAa-CljfCmzw/s640/trees-4511721_640.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Image by <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/Photos_kast-11966122/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=4511721">Ioannis Ioannidis</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=4511721">Pixabay</a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Jenna was used to traveling but this
drive felt endless. The car rumbled along through the twisty turns, and even
the mountain scenery had become dull. They would get there eventually, she
supposed, and the whole thing of being the new girl would start all over again.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Dad and Mom were talking about boring stuff – how long it would take the movers,
their big truck following half a mile behind, to bring in their boxes, whether he should call in at his new job or wait until Monday. Jenna pulled out her phone and groaned to see that there were still no bars. All she knew was that it was going to be a long summer for this 11 year old, and probably lonely as well.</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">At last they turned off the highway, not down the hill towards the city they had passed and glimpsed whenever the road turned in the right direction, unfortunately, but upwards and further into this wilderness. The sign said “Windchime 4 miles” and at least the road was paved. Jenna perked up when the first part of the lake came into view. Soon they passed through the township, with small shops, and the lake shore with a small marina and parking lot. Most of the shops looked like they catered to winter tourists. The mountain nearby showed what ski runs look like when there isn’t any snow, large scars between the trees. The summer tourist season had not yet started. In fact, many of the shops were still closed. </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Mom and Dad had driven up here a few times, together and separately. Dad had his
job interview down in that city, but they had both come up to look at homes for rent. It had been a surprise when they found a place for sale, that they could actually afford. Jenna had never been along, staying with her auntie for the couple of nights both her parents were away. But Mom had given her a long and enthusiastic run down about the place, its history as a spa town starting in the late 1880’s, the old lumber industry that had become less successful when the river silted up and transporting logs became much harder, the great skiing that meant several high end resort hotels tucked away in the forest. Mom knew her way around by now. She liked that it was “quiet and family oriented” so it felt safe. </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">A block past the main village, the car made a sudden turn into a long driveway. The faded sign read “Windchime Lake Resort”. Jenna snorted as she thought to herself, <i>more like last resort.</i> </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">Still, she felt a little tingly when
they pulled up beside the main house, a little aged but not dilapidated, what
her mother had called, “a surprising neo-Georgian.” This resort had been
successful and busy in the heyday of Windchime, but had gradually become less
popular as summer tourism had declined and the original owners had aged. They
had finally retired and the business had been closed down for at least 10
years, but the property was not abandoned. Mom kept talking about “retro charm.”</span></div>
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Now that they were all here, Dad and Mom seemed very pleased, and all three walked up three steps onto the porch. Mom pulled out her key and after a moment jiggling, pushed the door open. They walked into the empty foyer, and in an impressive manner Mom turned back and said, “Welcome home.”</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">The arrival part of moving was always busy. In some ways it would feel like they were still living in the very first house they had, when Jenna was little. Her memories were hazy of all the houses and apartments with white or beige walls and the same furniture – that uncomfortable antique sofa that always lived against a wall to preserve its back, the pillowed bench that Mom always put under a window, if there was one. </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">But this house was bigger than most, and the window in the living room already had
a built-in bench. There were bookshelves too. But Mom had planned for this and was busy instructing the movers to haul some of their pieces upstairs. This was one thing that was certainly different. A second floor with bedrooms, and a whole other sitting room. Apparently the expansive room downstairs was originally meant to be for the guests to use.</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Jenna started carrying her own luggage upstairs to the room that was to be hers. She
only knew that it was at the far end facing the back, while the master was in the front. </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i>Good,</i> she thought. It was all light and
happiness now, but it wouldn’t be long before the snipping and bickering began
as usual, and she’d rather not have to hear it. This was supposed to be a
long-term appointment, but Jenna had long ago learnt not to count on that. Time
seemed to mean something different to Dad when he thought one year was “a nice
long stint.” Mom had told him that this was going to be her last chance to put
down her roots. She liked gardening metaphors. They had both promised Jenna
this would be the last move for a while – she would be able to attend the same
middle school for the next three years, and probably the same high school as all
her new friends. But Jenna was still dubious. She didn’t want to jinx it.</span></div>
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">At the top of the stairs facing the front of the house, there was a bank of windows. Jenna looked out at the view. She found she could see down the slope past the trees and the neighboring houses, to part of the village, the little marina and some of the lakeshore. This house really was close to the action, if you could call it that. The lake sparkled out to the relatively distant wooded mountains on the other side. The trees along the near edges still prevented her from being able to see the mill from here. She turned around to look for her room.</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">She passed a couple of closed doors along the back hallway, that she would soon learn were other smaller bedrooms and a linen closet. Jenna walked into her room for the first time. It was nice and quite a good size. The walls had white painted paneling, and the ceiling sloped downward towards the windows on the back wall, but was still plenty high enough to feel airy. There were sliding doors to her closet, but they didn’t take up all the side wall. There would be room for her bed and desk, bookshelf, a couple of chairs for still non-existent friends. As long as she didn’t get saddled with the antique sofa, she’d do fine. Her view was of the rest of the property, with several small cottages poking out from between shrubs and bushes, linked by what looked like stamped dirt paths. Things were looking up. Jenna liked hiking. Below a pergola obscured whatever patio there was. Those cottages were why they were here. </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">She checked and found that she had bars on her phone now, but remembered she had limited data. She knew Dad would want her to wait until the wifi was set up. So just one quick selfie, with her view, to her Instagram. Then, a mover appeared at her door. She told them where to set up her bed and desk, then got out of their way. Mom would expect her to make the bed before dinner, and unpack at least one box every morning before going anywhere. </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">She thought she had better go downstairs to help with the kitchen. She walked down
the short hallway and around the railing to the top of the staircase, and went down. It was pretty grand, she supposed, with a landing half-way. She had been forewarned that the kitchen was huge – professional style to serve the guests at the resort. The built-in sideboard was full of dishes, with the name of the resort embossed on the borders. But there was still plenty of room in the other cupboards for the family’s familiar things, and Jenna started unwrapping plates and mugs from the boxes, while Mom was still talking to the movers. Opening the full kitchen again would be one of the last steps in “Mom’s Big Plan”.</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Suddenly there was a knock at the front door. Two people were crowding into the doorway. The first was a colorfully dressed mature lady, holding a casserole dish covered in foil, while behind her was stocky man, wearing a khaki and green uniform, who turned out to be the local Fish and Game warden.</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">As soon as she saw Jenna and Mom appear from opposite sides of the foyer, the lady started speaking, excitedly. “Hello! I’m Meg Connor, and this is Bill Marks, from the village. Welcome to Windchime!”</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Mom replied, “Thank you. We’re the Hansons. I’m Susan, this is my daughter Jenna,
and there’s my husband Geoff”, gesturing to Dad as he came in from the other room. "Please, won’t you come through to the kitchen?” They both came in, and Mr. Marks shook hands with Dad. Jenna glanced hopefully out the front door, but the adults were alone.</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">These people seemed nice. It only took a few minutes before Mom revealed her plans for the old place – “to hold artist’s retreats” – to which Ms. Connor replied that she was, “President of the North Lakes Arts and Crafts Association”, and they were off talking about the local artisan scene. Dad said, “I think we just lost them” and Mr. Marks said, “Yep”, before starting to ask Dad about when he planned on starting work. He explained, “I’m your liaison with both State and Federal agencies around here.” </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Well, that certainly sounded like it was shaping up to be the most boring conversation ever, especially since Jenna already knew plenty about her Dad’s work. But the conversation about the challenges of thriving as artists in the middle of nowhere wasn’t much better. Ms. Connor was just saying that the town lost all the passerby tourism to the city of Reservoir, “when the highway was rerouted there in the 70’s,” like with Route 66. The ski season kept the town afloat – that and the mill where most of the population worked. But for big box stores or appliances or bulk supplies, most people drove down to “the City.” </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Jenna quietly backed out to return to her room. Sure enough, there was the box marked “J’s bedding” ready for her. She glanced towards her phone, then turned away from the temptation, reaching instead for the safety cutter Mom had left for her.</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">A few hours later she was lying in bed, playing a game on her phone in the dark. She could hear her parents as they came up the stairs and headed to their room. Mom was already sounding pushy, while Dad was already sounding… like himself. He called it sensible. Mom called it defeatist.</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">“Meg says she wants to bring more arts and tourism to the Lake, and I can be part of
that,” Mom was saying. </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">“Sure, but it could take a few years to see your business being viable,” Dad said.</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Jenna could picture her mom’s face becoming tight. She could hear her deliberate
breathing and measured tone, when she answered, “You agreed that this was long-term. You agreed to consider this a long-term project, and you promised me we would stay here even if you took on external assignments.” </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">“Yes, I did agree. As long as the job exists, certainly, I’ll give it my best effort.”</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">The door closed muffling their voices, but Jenna could imagine the argument.</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">“It’s a mandated position. Why would it not exist?” “I thought you’d be pleased that
I was taking a long view of it.” “Why say you support my idea but only ever point out problems?” “You place too much faith in external forces. Things can go wrong.” “You don’t place enough faith in anything. Things can go right too.” “They don’t seem to have so far.” “That’s really hurtful. You know why there have been problems. I’ve learnt a lot.” “Yes. Well I’ve learnt to have a contingency plan.” “You agreed to give this job your best effort.” “When did I say I wouldn’t?” and on until they finally went to bed. </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">It was always about whose dream could be followed, his or hers. Nobody ever seemed to concern themselves with Jenna’s dreams. She felt like with every move and
start over in a new town, a new school, her dreams were sliding further away. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Every now and then her parents would have a discussion when they thought she
wasn’t listening. Mom was worried - already - about “how could she hope to get into a good college, or qualify for any kind of scholarship, without a record of outstanding community service work and extracurricular activities?” Dad seemed to have an assumption that she was headed for science, like himself. Mom always carried around a vague air of disappointment about it. </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Jenna felt like that was all a long way off. She didn’t know what she wanted her life to be, except that she liked swimming and sports and the outdoors. Her ambitions for herself included making a couple of true friends that she could laugh with, and share her secrets with, and tell her worries to - those being mostly about how her parents were acting. What she really wanted was not to be lonely. </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span id="docs-internal-guid-dcead813-7fff-64c5-0292-d583d63ed92e"></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Maybe she should announce that her fallback plan was joining the Navy, which would
really worry them. Well, at least that might unite them for a while. Jenna’s last thought as she drifted off to sleep, was that she needed to ask when the wifi would be available. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Robyn Coburn Writer/Artisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17118929626629581261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2741463609898064433.post-23318054970018371282020-01-13T18:20:00.001-08:002020-03-21T19:35:56.419-07:00Writers, Protect your Time<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As a writer and a stay-at-home mom, one of my biggest challenges has been finding the uninterrupted time to actually sit and write, without needing to worry about outside or additional responsibilities.<br />
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That the unpaid duties of parenting and home keeping - whether beloved or merely tolerated - still fall primarily on the shoulders of mother, is an almost universal constant. Women have been navigating these competing priorities for generations now. Those of us working in the arts are not exceptions, although we might have the advantage of a short commute if our studio is at home, as mine is. <a href="https://www.salary.com/articles/stay-at-home-mom/" target="_blank">A recent study of salary data</a>, found that the work of a SAHM is worth over $162K per year, when all the different functional roles are added up. Today as housekeeper, cook and part-time administrative assistant, my salary should be about $90K - but that would assume I'm a bit more enthusiastic of a housekeeper than I usually manage. <br /><br />For the last 20 years, I have been acting as the support system for my partner (my husband) and his professional activity as the breadwinner, while my own career aspirations have fit in part-time, around the choices I made. Yes, I did make the choice to live this lifestyle, centering home schooling as my priority and all the multitude of tasks involved in being a home maker as how I spent my time. It wasn't my original ambition to be out of the workforce. I had planned a fabulous career in theater and film. Just because I <i>am</i> happy with the choice I made, and the beautiful life I lead, doesn't mean I don't sometimes mourn what might have been.<br />
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Slowly, starting about 10 years ago, my daughter grew ever more independent. As she needed less of my focus, and I turned increasingly towards working for an income. Now I am a writer, with my first book on its way to publication. (More on that soon.)<br />
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<b>In fact, I would go further to say that now I am practically a full-time writer.</b><br />
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It is because my daughter has entered college, and my husband and she leave for work/school together early just about every morning. My productivity, now that I am free of interruptions or plaintive importunities for attention or snacks, has skyrocketed.<br />
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Never have I felt the truth of and identification with Virginia Woolf's idea in her essay, "A Room of One's Own" so keenly as now, when I feel the real difference the comes from being alone in the house for a specified, predictable and regular time on a repeating schedule.<br />
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How did I manage to write a whole biography before? Well, my daughter was able to give me just enough time alone at my desk each working day, either from her sleep schedule or from as much self-discipline as she could muster, that I was able to put in about three or four hours a day, with some extra magical times when I was able to squeeze in 8 or 9. But it was a slog, and there is no denying that sometimes the others in my household, while expressing full support, left me feeling torn with their reasonable neediness.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxfH54rHfIr74C8Bx53gc9ndp-MSoCxggt8VNsXOHlcd5OGDMCeKa7bZadmfwH9hdIDRWtZo0AGTtJ20Uq-fK_Ke0akM73aR3QsO-wLUdU1mzULnqtAXfTF7rYp-WkgaE9zQZ14_4GisE/s1600/egg-timer-154763_640.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxfH54rHfIr74C8Bx53gc9ndp-MSoCxggt8VNsXOHlcd5OGDMCeKa7bZadmfwH9hdIDRWtZo0AGTtJ20Uq-fK_Ke0akM73aR3QsO-wLUdU1mzULnqtAXfTF7rYp-WkgaE9zQZ14_4GisE/s320/egg-timer-154763_640.png" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Image by <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/OpenClipart-Vectors-30363/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=154763">OpenClipart-Vectors</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=154763">Pixabay</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
Here are the tactics that I use, that worked well in the past to let me get some writing work done, and continue to work well now.<br />
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<ul>
<li>While working on the bio, I had a daily set time when I wrote that I made sure everyone knew about. I had my accountability buddy to help me start every day at a consistent time. But I also had a set finishing time most days. When I was in a particular deadline mode, I would put the time on a dry erase sign, to let my people know when I was going to stop. I don't have an office with a door - yet - so that sign was very important. This included working on resumes too. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>I got efficient about preparing meals, and I have only become more efficient now with week-long meal planning and a daily preparation time built in to my schedule. I know when they will be home, and I work to that each day. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>I've been using a Pomodoro timer app. I let it tick aloud during the five minute breaks, when I jump up and do some quick housework task. But I find the countdown clock inspiring too. I have really become a lot more productive. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>I have a to do list, numbered by priority. If I have to make fewer decisions, work gets done faster. I spent some time during the first week of January creating an editorial calendar for the first Quarter of the year, even longer for some aspects of my writing businesses. Just four pre-planned blog posts a quarter here - surely I can manage that. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>I get most of my groceries delivered, especially the kind of household paper goods and sparkling water that come in bulk sizes. On the other hand, it can be a nice break to go up to the store and gather a week's worth of veges and proteins for meal planning. But the fast ordering and ability to avoid traffic and standing in lines, helps my time management immeasurably. </li>
</ul>
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There was no way for me to work consistently and in the great chunks that actually move a work of fiction along while my daughter was tiny and underfoot. Sure, I could knock out a blog post, or an article - even if it took a few sessions. But the ability to write a thousand reasonable words of a narrative or a screenplay needs the kind of time that allows flow - immersion in a whole other world where time moves entirely differently, and re-entering the common world, leaves one in a daze wondering where that time went...when did it get dark? How long has the cat been asserting her desire for her dinner? That takes protected time. And now I have it, for the time being at least.<br />
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<br />Robyn Coburn Writer/Artisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17118929626629581261noreply@blogger.com0Los Angeles, CA 90016, USA34.0255188 -118.3520389000000333.9728798 -118.43271990000002 34.0781578 -118.27135790000003tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2741463609898064433.post-11461009726703013992020-01-03T16:30:00.000-08:002020-01-03T16:51:15.966-08:00Good books I read over the last year<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have to be honest. Most of the time I listened to audio books. I have subscriptions to two different services and this has been the greatest impetus to get new books and consume that informative, inspiring or entertaining content.<br />
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One of the reasons I choose audio for so much text based content is because of time constraints. When I read a book, that is all I do. What tends to suffer when I am absorbed in a book, especially a ripping narrative, is my sleep. I will continue the habit of a lifetime and read in bed. It's still relaxation, but it's not sleep.<br />
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I travel by public transit a little over an hour to my volunteer gig once a week. Every other week, I have an errand to another part of town. Perfect reading moments, right? Alas, I get terrible motion sickness if I try to read in a vehicle or on a train. So it is the perfect time to listen.<br />
<br />
I like to listen to something while I'm walking or grocery shopping. Often I hit up podcasts, but buffering can be a problem. So I have a book downloaded, and I can listen happily. At home, I use an audio book as my "reward" for doing some housework. I put my earbuds in, turn on an entertaining book, and clean. It's especially great for the vacuuming.<br />
<br />
Here is a selection of the non-fiction titles I read and appreciated this year, in no particular order. I read more than these, but these are the ones I truly enjoyed in the moment or intend to return to for references and ideas.<br />
<br />
<b>Wendy Wood -</b><i><b> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Good-Habits-Bad-Science-Positive/dp/1250159075/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=" target="_blank">Good Habits, Bad Habits: The Science of Making Positive Changes</a></b></i> (2019). This book is a conglomeration of the science including a lot of Dr. Wood's own research into the topic, but is written in language accessible to the layman. I have only just finished my first listen, and I will be going through it again to make notes of some actionable practices. Stay tuned on that one.<br />
<br />
<b>Ken Robinson<i> - <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Out-Our-Minds-Learning-Creative-ebook/dp/B005CKKETU/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1578098572&sr=1-2" target="_blank">Out of Our Minds: Learning to Be Creative </a>(</i></b>2011) and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Finding-Your-Element-Discover-Transform-ebook/dp/B00AFPVOTG/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Finding+Your+Element%3A+How+to+Discover+Your+Talents+and+Passions+and+Transform+Your+Life&qid=1578098622&s=digital-text&sr=1-1" target="_blank"><b style="font-style: italic;">Finding Your Element: How to Discover Your Talents and Passions and Transform Your Life</b> </a>(2013). Creativity is a particular interest of mine. Ken Robinson's TED talk on the subject is still one of the most listened to in history.<br />
<br />
<b>Simon Sinek - <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Infinite-Game-Simon-Sinek-ebook/dp/B079DWSYYB/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=The+Infinite+Game&qid=1578098666&s=digital-text&sr=1-2" target="_blank">The Infinite Game</a></i></b><i> </i>(2019). This is an interesting take on the concept of fixed and growth mindsets for leaders. I have already recommended this book to others.<br />
<br />
<b>Hillary Rodham Clinton and Chelsea Clinton - <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Book-Gutsy-Women-Favorite-Stories-Resilience-ebook/dp/B07TGCXPFT/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=The+Book+of+Gutsy+Women%3A+Favorite+Stories+of+Courage+and+Resilience&qid=1578098705&s=digital-text&sr=1-1" target="_blank">The Book of Gutsy Women: Favorite Stories of Courage and Resilience</a></i></b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Book-Gutsy-Women-Favorite-Stories-Resilience-ebook/dp/B07TGCXPFT/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=The+Book+of+Gutsy+Women%3A+Favorite+Stories+of+Courage+and+Resilience&qid=1578098705&s=digital-text&sr=1-1" target="_blank"> </a>(2019)<br />
<br />
<b>Michelle Obama - <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Michelle-Obama-ebook/dp/B079ZYWJJ8/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=Becoming&qid=1578098745&s=digital-text&sr=1-2" target="_blank">Becoming</a></i></b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Michelle-Obama-ebook/dp/B079ZYWJJ8/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=Becoming&qid=1578098745&s=digital-text&sr=1-2" target="_blank"> </a>(2018). Definitely her story, her point of view, not his. Good value too, because it is long and detailed.<br />
<br />
<b>Mel Robbins - </b><i><b><a href="https://www.audible.com/pd/Work-It-Out-Audiobook/B07XB3844L?pf_rd_p=3fdee8e5-f86f-450b-96f3-43e970e0d805&pf_rd_r=Q918D8GFQ4YQ3ZXGG22V&ref=a_search_c2_sparkle" target="_blank">Work It Out </a></b></i>(2019), <i><b><a href="https://www.audible.com/pd/Kick-Ass-with-Mel-Robbins-Audiobook/B07BZV7FKK?qid=1578098964&sr=1-4&pf_rd_p=e81b7c27-6880-467a-b5a7-13cef5d729fe&pf_rd_r=Q918D8GFQ4YQ3ZXGG22V&ref=a_search_c3_lProduct_1_4" target="_blank">Kick Ass</a> </b></i>(2018) and<i><b> <a href="https://www.audible.com/pd/Take-Control-of-Your-Life-Audiobook/B07LFLM4LJ?qid=1578098964&sr=1-1&pf_rd_p=e81b7c27-6880-467a-b5a7-13cef5d729fe&pf_rd_r=Q918D8GFQ4YQ3ZXGG22V&ref=a_search_c3_lProduct_1_1" target="_blank">Take Control of Your Life</a></b></i><a href="https://www.audible.com/pd/Take-Control-of-Your-Life-Audiobook/B07LFLM4LJ?qid=1578098964&sr=1-1&pf_rd_p=e81b7c27-6880-467a-b5a7-13cef5d729fe&pf_rd_r=Q918D8GFQ4YQ3ZXGG22V&ref=a_search_c3_lProduct_1_1" target="_blank"> </a>(2019) - Audible Originals. These are recorded coaching sessions with deeply insightful commentary and actionable take-aways. I like this work better than the original <i>Five Second Rule</i>.<br />
<br />
<b>David Wallace-Wells -<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Uninhabitable-Earth-Life-After-Warming-ebook/dp/B07GVPFH5V/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=The+Uninhabitable+Earth%3A+Life+After+Warming&qid=1578098787&s=digital-text&sr=1-2" target="_blank"> <i>The Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming</i></a></b>(2019). A depressingly clear run down of the current climate-change science, and some of the predictive models - but with some hope attached. Very useful for anyone writing futurist or sci-fi novels, if nothing else.<br />
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<a href="https://www.marieforleo.com/wp-content/themes/marieforleo/assets/images/book/EIF_cover.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="542" height="320" src="https://www.marieforleo.com/wp-content/themes/marieforleo/assets/images/book/EIF_cover.png" width="216" /></a></div>
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<b>Marie Forleo - <i><a href="http://everythingisfigureoutable.com/" target="_blank">Everything is Figureoutable </a></i></b>(2019). One of the great features of this audio book, is that the sections with the exercises - what she calls an "Insight to Action Challenge" for each chapter - have their own heading - so it is easy to jump to them to participate in the exercises.</div>
<br />
<h3>
Currently reading:</h3>
<br />
<b>Matt Bird - <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Story-Innovative-Perfecting-Captivating-ebook/dp/B01N7HV0CT/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=The+Secrets+of+Story%3A+Innovative+Tools+for+Perfecting+Your+Fiction+and+Captivating+Readers&qid=1578098869&s=digital-text&sr=1-1" target="_blank">The Secrets of Story: Innovative Tools for Perfecting Your Fiction and Captivating Readers</a></i></b> (2016). This is another book that will I will be taking copious notes from. I'm finding it illuminating.<br />
<br />
<b>Amy Schmittauer Landino - <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082DD3XC9/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1" target="_blank">Good Morning, Good Life: 5 Simple Habits to Master Your Mornings and Upgrade Your Life</a> </i></b>(2019). I am already a fan of Amy's first book, <i>Vlog Like a Boss,</i> and I like her reading style in audio. She writes in a friendly, authentic style and shares personal stories from her own life, including sometimes painful learning experiences. Plus it includes actionable exercises and doable steps. I like it so far.<br />
<br />Robyn Coburn Writer/Artisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17118929626629581261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2741463609898064433.post-25764937130120717422019-10-03T13:19:00.000-07:002019-10-03T13:19:59.012-07:00Back to the Writing Desk...... that is to say, the drawing board.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, as sometimes happens, we were not able to come to an agreement that everyone was happy with, so I'm back to looking for representation for <i>Dervish Dust</i>. However, I am not discouraged.<br />
<br />
If anything I am excited, because the agent is still interested in seeing my fiction work when the first book is finished. That being the case, I'm going to now share some more about it.<br />
<br />
<i>Mermaid Summer</i><br />
<br />
When Jenna Hanson moves to small town Windchime Lake, she hopes that she will finally be able to settle down for more than one school year, put down roots, and make some real friends. Her mom is excited to start a new business, and her dad hopes his new job as a biologist attached to the pulp-and-paper mill will be his redemption from a past big mistake in his career.<br />
<br />
But almost immediately Jenna realizes there is something strange about the Lake that gives the village its name, and making new friends is not as simple as she hoped.<br />
<br />
This is the first in a Middle Grade fantasy series.<br />
<br />
I'm also embarking on a quest to improve my writing in general and increase my content output, so that I can submit short pieces both fiction and non, to the many markets available. My goal is to make a good living from my writing. It's that simple. So you will find some short bits and bobs on this site for a while - what might be called writing exercises.Robyn Coburn Writer/Artisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17118929626629581261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2741463609898064433.post-14183130669516417532019-10-03T13:13:00.000-07:002019-10-03T13:13:17.576-07:00About My Cat<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBDuiTazmTP8h_tRPfZvvrEycFOVTROKGa3lPvzFQM4G35ERQWKADZTkwGiC7qxNRpPcdJxDZgWt1G3Crat9teSAaJhQO4qOfyqB-ucf5LvGHr6ZMFLI17_y8rkQgZ6u-gSHrzmlNN-ak/s1600/58101025345__7F8F787B-4F31-4342-A2A9-09167EF9B139.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBDuiTazmTP8h_tRPfZvvrEycFOVTROKGa3lPvzFQM4G35ERQWKADZTkwGiC7qxNRpPcdJxDZgWt1G3Crat9teSAaJhQO4qOfyqB-ucf5LvGHr6ZMFLI17_y8rkQgZ6u-gSHrzmlNN-ak/s640/58101025345__7F8F787B-4F31-4342-A2A9-09167EF9B139.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN">I’ve not always been the best cat mom.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN">In fact my last cat was an indoor/outdoor cat
that freely came and went, out the small window while I was out at work. He was
quite the scammer, making pretty much everyone along the street believe that
they were his people. I only found out when I was ready to move, and was
looking for him to put in a carrier and come with me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN">I met up with him coming out one of my
neighbor’s houses. He had the grace to look a little guilty or at least
conscious that he had been caught. The lady of that house was so stricken, so
heartbroken that he might be leaving her, that I happily let her keep him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN">It took 30 years for me to get another cat.
This one is our joy. We keep her indoors, since we know that indoor cats live
longer. If the conversation in the house ever flags, all we need to do is tell
each other some cute thing that Virgo did today, like clack in throat at those
pesky crows that dance on the street, and taunt her in her window. We all like
to watch her sleep or roll over. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN">She gets the most high quality food, and I
play with her. She curls up on a cat tree next to my desk as I write, then
follows me to whatever room I am working in. She mews and likes it when I brush
her. She yowls in hallway when she wants to play - I throw balls for her. When
I’m at home alone, she acts like she’s my cat. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN">But she’s not. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN">Oh no. She’s my husband’s cat, all the way. I
feed her, but she runs to him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She
sleeps at my feet, but cuddles up at his head. Her name’s Virgo, but he calls
her “Cat”, so she answers to that when he calls. She presents her belly to him
to be rubbed. And for a standoffish rescue cat - she has finally started
sitting on laps after three years - she shows him the most affection. She talks
to him at length, and seems to answer his questions. It’s lovely. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN">There’s no gratitude in a cat. But I have
enough to cover her little share. I forgive her scratching up the sofa - that
she only does when she wants attention. She likes to visit with our visitors.
She sometimes calls out when she thinks she’s alone. She likes to hide in odd
places and make us worry that she got out, but she never tries to go out an
open door - just looks with mild curiosity. Stays. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN">Best cat ever.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br /></div>
</div>
Robyn Coburn Writer/Artisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17118929626629581261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2741463609898064433.post-84847631691546667252019-02-21T06:00:00.000-08:002019-02-21T06:00:08.888-08:00Collecting No's Pays Off<br /><span id="goog_1783881794"></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLzZtEnxGY3cIKjhoHBRI10uoE6OMn4tpLgf3I23wuIl2gHrOuh9gwafZi0gLlwRX8VO0oiREBjjRQapYOb6N10L2lodozTZ86kS9kRCOdiVeCmiWDOEYdsoBoDkAmzNVXzjAGtRYtlSA/s1600/Coburn%2527s+grin+HARD+CONTRACT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="737" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLzZtEnxGY3cIKjhoHBRI10uoE6OMn4tpLgf3I23wuIl2gHrOuh9gwafZi0gLlwRX8VO0oiREBjjRQapYOb6N10L2lodozTZ86kS9kRCOdiVeCmiWDOEYdsoBoDkAmzNVXzjAGtRYtlSA/s400/Coburn%2527s+grin+HARD+CONTRACT.jpg" width="325" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">James Coburn preparing for a scene - <i>Hard Contract</i> (1969)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Hi folks,<br />
I was planning to write a post about staying positive while collecting "no's". I've been sending out query letters to agents who rep biography since last November, and I've collected a bunch of them.<br />
<br />
They have been in the form of jaunty form-letter rejections, or brief words, although a couple have been a bit more personal and encouraging. I got one referral and then the no from that was very kind, probably more in deference to the referrer than me. I only had one really brusque no, and their brief feedback as to why feels perfectly logical and useful.<br />
<br />
I've even had a couple of requests for the full proposal (more on that later), and about half the people sent no reply at all, which after a certain time (usually specified on their websites) is a tacit no.<br />
<br />
I didn't feel bad. I researched each agent thoroughly - read their sites, determined whether they were a good fit for the book, were open to new authors or any submissions at this time, customized my query letter. I sent out a few a day in what was two batches over a couple of weeks each time, then settled down to wait. I was collecting those no's, because every no was one step towards the ultimate yes.<br />
<br />
I guess I hadn't been at it very long to become actually discouraged.<br />
<br />
Then a kind of miracle happened. A friend of mine who is a writer referred me to his agent. She was certainly not on my radar or in any of the guide books. Nor is she a bio specialist, but does have some experience with the genre, and knows everyone. I talked to her, and she requested my proposal, and read it the next day, and came back to me with an offer of representation - which is unheard of. That is super fast. I was lucky that I caught her in a few free days - she actually read my sample chapters while she was on a family trip.<br />
<br />
She's lucky - she can read in a moving vehicle. The main thing is she said she believes she can sell it.<br />
<br />
So as things stand, there are some contract details being addressed with <a href="https://jamesandpaulacoburnfoundation.org/" target="_blank">the James and Paula Coburn Foundation</a>, and I may soon be able to say that I actually have an agent for <i>Dervish Dust</i>. To follow more on this particular journey, please Like <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DervishDust/?modal=admin_todo_tour" target="_blank">my Facebook page for the book</a>.<br />
<br />
But the great thing, for which I will be forever grateful, was that she took time out of her vacation to give me some valuable and awesome notes about the proposal (OMG too long) and sample chapters (just some tweaks!). It was so exciting to have real feedback from someone who knows what they are doing about this proposal.<br />
<br />
I hope she will also be interested, in the fullness of time, in my upcoming fantasy YA series, the Mermaid Lake books. The first one, <i>Mermaid Summer</i>, is in rewrite stage - the tough part.<br />
<br />
<br />Robyn Coburn Writer/Artisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17118929626629581261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2741463609898064433.post-90079155149760570702019-01-03T13:51:00.001-08:002019-01-03T13:51:11.047-08:00My word of the year for 2019<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/20ZO4zA3R7k" width="480"></iframe>Robyn Coburn Writer/Artisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17118929626629581261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2741463609898064433.post-6061476120970190132018-12-29T08:00:00.000-08:002018-12-29T08:00:09.407-08:00THE PRESIDENT'S ANALYST is still cool.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuzsDcZX035wJKvfLE0xbJ8kMPof4QcqFKECnRiamMlQ8W0_xUxXwIFE7xa2P6WIOw2O9GVHIYPHiUzIf4pqCnFjRO8QmGuh1D0HHV2L4Qhy1xpJUwzsmb8bCvZuZ3AXTW86CxI3XyW-w/s1600/Pres+Analyst+poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="282" data-original-width="178" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuzsDcZX035wJKvfLE0xbJ8kMPof4QcqFKECnRiamMlQ8W0_xUxXwIFE7xa2P6WIOw2O9GVHIYPHiUzIf4pqCnFjRO8QmGuh1D0HHV2L4Qhy1xpJUwzsmb8bCvZuZ3AXTW86CxI3XyW-w/s640/Pres+Analyst+poster.jpg" width="403" /></a></div>
<br />
<span id="goog_738270709"></span><span id="goog_738270710"></span><br />
<br />
One of James Coburn's movies that somehow feels very contemporary is THE PRESIDENT'S ANALYST (1967). The plot concerns a psychiatrist tapped to be the US President's analyst, who becomes increasingly paranoid as he learns more and more confidential secrets from his patient. It turns out that his paranoia is justified as the international espionage community converge on him to try to learn those secrets. All of this is against the backdrop of plenty of still biting social commentary and some wonderful prescient ideas about technology.<br />
<br />
Aside from reviews, the movie is mentioned in different places like this legal blog:<br />
<a href="https://abovethelaw.com/career-files/where-do-we-go-from-here/" target="_blank">Above the Law</a><br />
<br />
and this therapist's article about privacy: <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/toddessig/2018/12/26/what-celluloid-shrinks-tell-us-about-psychotherapy-today/#7aa387cc485a" target="_blank">Forbes celluloid shrinks</a><br />
<br />
Here's someone else who agrees that it's prescient: <a href="https://www.slantmagazine.com/house/article/its-prophetic-own-the-presidents-analyst" target="_blank">Slant</a><br />
<br />
I like that the film is being rediscovered, like this showing a couple of years ago: <a href="https://bampfa.org/event/daniel-clowes-selects-president%E2%80%99s-analyst" target="_blank">BAMPFA </a><br />
<br />
It has even been used as support material for psychoanalytic studies college courses: <a href="http://atlantapsychoanalysis.com/event/movie-mania-the-presidents-analyst-1967/" target="_blank">Atlanta Psychoanalysis movie mania</a><br />
<br />
Jim's behind-the-scenes stories of making this picture are some of the most fun in the book.Robyn Coburn Writer/Artisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17118929626629581261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2741463609898064433.post-84102470590730542822018-12-03T06:00:00.000-08:002018-12-03T06:00:08.780-08:00The best tool to help you finish a big writing project<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGtkfjKrtTUUw6IfFU3XI6hLe05saNmfUdj5DBplTqbzuBDamIlWP5DJ-vt9dOPRN6u3AJG94ZIwTJ-uXRB7VsOQTRGplEAiMuWoilE_O8qVJuj6WmnbsP_FTIhk5McupEUdXs23a8Fe8/s1600/Robyn+and+Virgo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="207" data-original-width="207" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGtkfjKrtTUUw6IfFU3XI6hLe05saNmfUdj5DBplTqbzuBDamIlWP5DJ-vt9dOPRN6u3AJG94ZIwTJ-uXRB7VsOQTRGplEAiMuWoilE_O8qVJuj6WmnbsP_FTIhk5McupEUdXs23a8Fe8/s400/Robyn+and+Virgo.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's my other buddy, Virgo the cat - trying to tell me to take a pause I think.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
I've been busy with two different projects connected with writing for the last few weeks. The first is my ongoing agent search for <i>Dervish Dust</i> - researching each prospective agent and sending out tailored query letters. I call this process "collecting no's" and I feel good about the number I have so far. Many have been a bit more personal than a form letter, and feel genuinely encouraging.<br />
<br />
The other writing I've been doing is the first book in my Middle Grade fantasy novel series - or maybe it will become YA in time. I've been managing to get out close to 2000 words a day, because the plot is very thoroughly written out already. My challenge is actually prioritizing doing it - especially as the Holidays loom. I'm keeping track of my word count at the end of each writing session - a scribbled post-it note with yesterday's tally crossed out, and today's written down. It helps to feel productive.<br />
<br />
But one thing that I learned about writing a big project - in my case a fully researched biography - is that it helps to have an accountability buddy. I honestly think I would have added a year to the process without mine.<br />
<br />
My new friend Julie, a super-duper marketing maven, set the terms. I was to write without fail from 10AM until 12PM every weekday. I was to text her at the start, and text my word count at the end. 10AM suited me and my schedule at the time. But only two hours? I thought it was an insufficient commitment. But then again, it also felt doable, even when I had other stuff going on.<br />
<br />
It felt odd at first, being beholden in a way to someone so entirely outside of my usual life. We had met at a talk about leadership and management for musicians and film composers. Such an odd fortuitous circumstance. When Julie heard that I was finding it tough to get into a rhythm of writing, she suggested being my accountability buddy. It was so kind of her, with her own busy life and schedule, to take that time to hit a thumbs up each day.<br />
<br />
Sometimes I would text that it was going to be a research day - and then I got a lecture about actually writing for two hours first. If I needed to miss a day for something nonsensical like a doctor's appointment, I got a pep talk about not sliding out of the writing habit. It was wonderful.<br />
<br />
And of course, two hours usually stretched to four or six or even eight when I was on a roll. But the text was always at noon. Sometimes I would text again after the next two hour interval. And the book got done. I'm so grateful for that daily nudge.<br />
<br />
So that is my big advice to anyone trying to get the thing done and having trouble starting or focusing or just believing that it's OK to make your writing a priority - have an accountability buddy outside your family, someone with no stake in it - objective enough to see clearly through the likely moments of making excuses. Just two hours - two hours every day.Robyn Coburn Writer/Artisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17118929626629581261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2741463609898064433.post-32910584891395112482018-11-27T06:00:00.000-08:002019-01-03T16:40:45.865-08:00Coburn Movie Review - Charade (1963)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj65_eqGtqakc3x_8AVyGdAtdAcOtNRp9-WGkDU4NqE6-ZSI_1Hv2LMRyo8kncJUyu6tHEKapiIePJqo-ZJWsuC2k1ZmHQpscseM8wwCm5W8eaGsWZajBlgw8_HWn_2Y0vRc47Ru42_G5A/s1600/500px-Charade-ColtDS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="270" data-original-width="500" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj65_eqGtqakc3x_8AVyGdAtdAcOtNRp9-WGkDU4NqE6-ZSI_1Hv2LMRyo8kncJUyu6tHEKapiIePJqo-ZJWsuC2k1ZmHQpscseM8wwCm5W8eaGsWZajBlgw8_HWn_2Y0vRc47Ru42_G5A/s640/500px-Charade-ColtDS.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">James Coburn as Tex Panthollow in <i>Charade</i> (1963). I love his gingham shirt. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I have been seeing James Coburn pictures turning up more and more often on various cable channels. When I first started writing <i>Dervish Dust</i>, I had to search out some of his more obscure early pictures. Now they are sitting in my DVR having been grabbed by the automatic "Search and Record" setting. I love technology, and I love that his work is more visible.<br />
<br />
This month one of Jim's early movies that is certainly not obscure is playing on <a href="http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/3838/Charade/" target="_blank">TCM</a>. It is <i>Charade </i>(1963) starring Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn, with James Coburn joining the cast as a key villain. There are plenty of neat behind-the-scenes stories in the book, which I won't spoil, but I will say that both Jim and his wife at the time Beverly, absolutely loved Paris where almost all of <i>Charade</i> was shot. That is despite 1962-63 winter turning into one of the coldest on record in all of Europe. In Britain it was called the "Big Freeze". Jim talked about his eagerness to go in to the soundstage to work because it was the only place he could get properly warm.<br />
<br />
You would never know it was freezing from watching luminous Audrey Hepburn chase after and spar with Cary Grant. He thought her character was dressed like a "kook", and had less appreciation for the Givenchy wardrobe that to our modern eyes looks so beautifully elegant. There is plenty of humor interspersed with the mystery and sense of danger in the story, and the pacing is good too. Of course there is never any real danger that the charming Cary Grant could turn out to be a bad guy despite the efforts at misdirection in the story. But the cleverness of the various solutions to the mystery are delightful, and I remember the twists as <i>not</i> predictable, the first time I watched this many years ago.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoBeWiH8TapTFgmjnfvXgOufyiHLEKljwKALwOHGZvxbPuE5cnbkNsMuqdSQ6JRnB0QGbCyVAZCdtPfp8pcFT32HM4EZMtaoPEo0ULZ3uOtGnMEQx5DbVy-n4xCz63SeGYLMJtmpM8SSs/s1600/charade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="390" data-original-width="879" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoBeWiH8TapTFgmjnfvXgOufyiHLEKljwKALwOHGZvxbPuE5cnbkNsMuqdSQ6JRnB0QGbCyVAZCdtPfp8pcFT32HM4EZMtaoPEo0ULZ3uOtGnMEQx5DbVy-n4xCz63SeGYLMJtmpM8SSs/s640/charade.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of Jim's most famous scenes from <i>Charade</i> with Audrey Hepburn.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Even having seen it numerous times, this is one of those films that continues to be enjoyable if for nothing more than the eye candy of beautiful people, beautiful clothes, beautiful locales and sparkling dialogue. It is even more so once you realize that there were often snowdrifts just off screen.<br />
<br />
"Tex" was Jim's biggest film role to date. He came to Paris fresh from the shoot of <i>The Great Escape</i>, and was soon joined by Beverly and the two kids for the long shoot. Very soon he would be in a co-starring role in another TCM stalwart, <i>High Wind in Jamaica</i> (1965) which shot primarily on location in Jamaica, and was much more comfortable, at least as far as the weather was concerned.<br />
<br />
<b>You can see <i>Charade</i> on TCM, Thursday November 29 at 8:00 pm Eastern</b><br />
<br />
Please share!<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/DervishDust" target="_blank">Visit me on Facebook</a> to tell me about your favorite Coburn movie moments.Robyn Coburn Writer/Artisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17118929626629581261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2741463609898064433.post-34990749070116722962018-11-18T06:00:00.000-08:002018-11-18T06:00:00.459-08:00Vale James Coburn<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQPzDnc7G_Ccilom81CRViJMJlgkxZO4oK1qqBuj9V1RgSGmA7Ixrebu062GQKiYuztkIPFq06RJRkKw0_oXkwxSlrjq0JbfmwIZvZLJPLquRz_1IVrvd82ldPGRi4ULAfMJo0mCU_noM/s1600/1991+Jim+and+Paula+at+Hollyline+-+Paul+Harris+photography+818.347.8294.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1278" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQPzDnc7G_Ccilom81CRViJMJlgkxZO4oK1qqBuj9V1RgSGmA7Ixrebu062GQKiYuztkIPFq06RJRkKw0_oXkwxSlrjq0JbfmwIZvZLJPLquRz_1IVrvd82ldPGRi4ULAfMJo0mCU_noM/s400/1991+Jim+and+Paula+at+Hollyline+-+Paul+Harris+photography+818.347.8294.jpg" width="318" /></a></div>
<br />
Today is the anniversary of James Coburn's passing in 2002. He died of complications of congestive heart failure after collapsing at home. He had been spending some time that evening preparing the music play list for the upcoming family Thanksgiving Celebration.<br />
<br />
Jim was a huge and lifelong lover of music, especially jazz and classical music. One of his favorite pieces was Stravinsky's "Rites of Spring". He credited his junior high music and choir teacher, Mrs. Spiller, with awakening a love of all kinds of music in his young teenage self.<br />
<br />
Later, as a young adult he spent many happy summer evenings dancing to the big band jazz and swing at the Rendezvous Ballroom in Balboa Island. In the army, one of his best friends was a musician who taught him claves, the percussion stick instrument of Cuba. In New York in the early 50's his perennial hang out was Birdland. He was very nostalgic about those great old days of music - he called them "the days of fun and frolic".<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd-UVlAYLngn1T56cIgGoHYMReeZJd7LtDkq3Uel_zeZ3irbJmjoXP6tQXQ4xsQofDSU2SDEP_qh2lXQQ7OQtXorHLcWcRnD-fFR2nWtRg665F68P0izu3-kfFfWAAeHvkHk_GZfOxk1Q/s1600/Band+on+the+run.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="220" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd-UVlAYLngn1T56cIgGoHYMReeZJd7LtDkq3Uel_zeZ3irbJmjoXP6tQXQ4xsQofDSU2SDEP_qh2lXQQ7OQtXorHLcWcRnD-fFR2nWtRg665F68P0izu3-kfFfWAAeHvkHk_GZfOxk1Q/s320/Band+on+the+run.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Throughout his life many of his close friends were musicians or connected to the music business, like his pal composer Herbie Kretzmer, and his other close friend Petey Kameron who once managed The Who. Perhaps his most extraordinary connection to music is his appearance on the famous cover of Paul McCartney and Wings' album "Band on the Run." And this doesn't even touch the array of fascinating artists who composed the music scores for his movies.<br />
<br />
It is quite possible that the last things he heard in his life were the strains of some of his favorite music.<br />
<br />
RIP James Coburn.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://jamesandpaulacoburnfoundation.org/" target="_blank">The James and Paula Coburn Foundation</a> continues to pay tribute to Jim's love of music by supporting the Los Angeles Philharmonic, among other worthy causes. You can make a donation if you wish by visiting<a href="http://jamesandpaulacoburnfoundation.org/your-donations/" target="_blank"> the website.</a><br />
<br />Robyn Coburn Writer/Artisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17118929626629581261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2741463609898064433.post-7123534075855132052018-11-13T06:00:00.000-08:002018-11-13T06:00:07.111-08:00Use Your Library! <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoPvS-prhRSJPp5J6KBK_wTzlbQQ56he-L89FJ9DXDc9QrvfJbacuKyVUufWYA_LMNEEH5oh55vt7V8LXKWxCXUA65j6E98RtaRlagS4mVBtXZ_4ePozfGhpfPp0cpOcUxjCEGeTUeT7w/s1600/home-office-336581__340.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="340" data-original-width="510" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoPvS-prhRSJPp5J6KBK_wTzlbQQ56he-L89FJ9DXDc9QrvfJbacuKyVUufWYA_LMNEEH5oh55vt7V8LXKWxCXUA65j6E98RtaRlagS4mVBtXZ_4ePozfGhpfPp0cpOcUxjCEGeTUeT7w/s400/home-office-336581__340.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Pixabay.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
One of the most valuable resources any writer has is the
public library, and I mean beyond access to the whole world of books.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Here in Los Angeles where I live, we have the Los Angeles Library
system and the County Library System. <b>With your library card and PIN, you can
access for free a remarkable number of resources for learning all kinds of
things</b> including online courses from outlets that are otherwise quite expensive.
These include services like Lynda.com, Gale Courses and language learning sites.
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The kind of courses you can access include computer proficiency,
GED and job searching skills. And you don’t necessarily have to be at the
library to do it. Many of these resources are accessible remotely. Did I mention, FREE?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Meanwhile, for writers in Los Angeles –<a href="https://www.lapl.org/collections-resources/blogs/lapl/guide-writing-groups-los-angeles" target="_blank"> here is a page</a> detailing
how to find local writers’ groups. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Some are free, others are fee based, and some are actually
held at libraries themselves. Aren’t we lucky? <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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If there is one thing that will make a difference to getting
your writing project finished, it is having an accountability buddy. I would probably still be muddling along with <i>Dervish Dust</i>, if it weren’t for mine. Your
writers’ group may work to fill that role, or you may find someone to do it
there.<br />
<br />
Of course, when I was researching <i>Dervish Dust</i>, I visited a number of specialty libraries and also accessed material in various archives. But the public library was part of me journey too.</div>
Robyn Coburn Writer/Artisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17118929626629581261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2741463609898064433.post-81364160353555895882018-11-11T14:00:00.000-08:002018-11-11T14:00:09.826-08:00Veteran's Day <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCwtnY31L_MSE65q2NU-AviGQ9GnIJyShKDrb2PsBAI2iupir4Wm7VlfCQE3S1uNg6iOsw62TBnky_GT3k-kyYUGQ_3A_OT6oh2xQ_XHBnkG6jTuH9ZzPmz0EVBXOfsYaPTF9qMlBPGSs/s1600/In+Germany+-+Coburn+wrote+-+Me+and+the+boys%252C+at+work%252C+on+maneuvers..jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="626" data-original-width="897" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCwtnY31L_MSE65q2NU-AviGQ9GnIJyShKDrb2PsBAI2iupir4Wm7VlfCQE3S1uNg6iOsw62TBnky_GT3k-kyYUGQ_3A_OT6oh2xQ_XHBnkG6jTuH9ZzPmz0EVBXOfsYaPTF9qMlBPGSs/s400/In+Germany+-+Coburn+wrote+-+Me+and+the+boys%252C+at+work%252C+on+maneuvers..jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">James wrote:"Me and the boys at work on maneuvers."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Today is Armistice Day from World War I, and tomorrow is the Veteran's Day holiday here in USA, where we honor people who have served in the Military.<br />
<br />
I won't go in to the politics today, but I will say that the fact that there are any veterans lacking access to services, jobs or even homes should be of concern to all of us. I volunteer with a group that helps people experiencing homelessness find work, and many of the our clients are veterans.<br />
<br />
James Coburn was a veteran. He was drafted into the Army and spent a almost 2 years in the Service Battery in Germany after WWII. He mostly enjoyed his time in the service, as you may guess from the above picture, and took advantage of the GI Bill to study acting - and we know how well that turned out!<br />
<br />
However, Jim was not the first of his family to serve. His uncle Darrell Coburn, the eldest of the four siblings that included Jim's father, had served in World War I. He had been inducted into the army in September of 1918, part of the last big push to wrap the thing up (the Hundred Days Offensive). In the last months the Allies were putting 100,000 men into the field every day.<br />
<br />
Darrell was 19 at the time. He was sent to the front lines, and was fortunate to return home when it was all over. But he lived the rest of his life as an invalid, and I suspect that he had been gassed. Darrell rejoined the family business, managing the Coburn Ford car dealership in the next town over - but he and his wife never did have any children.<br />
<br />
Very best wishes to all veterans.<br />
<br />
<b><i>Lest We Forget.</i></b><br />
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<br />Robyn Coburn Writer/Artisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17118929626629581261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2741463609898064433.post-69248143856797783232018-08-31T06:00:00.000-07:002018-08-31T06:00:06.190-07:00Happy Birthday, James Coburn<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYOuAh-lZoiVDt3vOMKz_ulAX2BAinIUSTkvxXpNO5hraaoIMpAack14bDoYBe_G-v31WZQMRNS1B7LVronMBeySAiBjJYKEdsVSnTz8Lu2Ef5iWRZ_mp07XPULJhvz0bS-Pmrdfm9_Es/s1600/A+LITTLE+STARSTRUCK+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYOuAh-lZoiVDt3vOMKz_ulAX2BAinIUSTkvxXpNO5hraaoIMpAack14bDoYBe_G-v31WZQMRNS1B7LVronMBeySAiBjJYKEdsVSnTz8Lu2Ef5iWRZ_mp07XPULJhvz0bS-Pmrdfm9_Es/s640/A+LITTLE+STARSTRUCK+%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
This is James Coburn, pictured with my husband as a boy.<br />
<br />
This photo would have been after Jim had become successful as a co-star in films like <i>Charade</i> (1963) and <i>The Americanization of Emily</i> (1964). It looks like it might have been from around the time of the shoot of <i>A High Wind in Jamaica</i> (1965), in which Jim sported a beard and mustache.<br />
<br />
<b>Here is a brief excerpt from the<a href="https://robyncoburn.blogspot.com/p/dervish-dust-the.html" target="_blank"> forthcoming biography</a>:</b><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The Coburn family had recently returned from what must have felt
like a vacation, shooting<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> A High Wind in
Jamaica </i>(1965)<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>on location in
Jamaica for two months, with a month in London for the interiors. Coburn had
been to London for tests and rehearsals, then flew into Kingston on June 25 to
be joined by Beverly and the kids about a week later. They then spent July and
August of 1964 enjoying the tropical climate while he portrayed Zac, the
cranky, wily second in command to Anthony Quinn’s Captain Chavez.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">At
the time, the shooting location, Rio Bueno, and the nearby beach villages had
only recently been discovered by tourists. The area could certainly be
described as an unspoiled tropical paradise—lush greenery, turquoise waters,
pristine white beaches, and a nearly uninterrupted skyline in every direction.
Most of the structures dated from Colonial times. It was perfect for shooting a
Victorian-era period film. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The
movie was based on a 1929 book, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Innocent Voyage</i> by Richard Hughes, about a colonist’s wild young children
who, on their way to school in England, accidentally stow away on a pirate
ship. It is often compared as a kind of bookend to William Golding’s 1954 <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Lord of the Flies</i>. Both deal with
themes of children as naturally savage beings who need the firm control and
direction of adults to become or remain civilized. According to a 1986
documentary produced by Scottish Television about the director, Alexander
Mackendrick was enthralled by the book, considering the “dark” novel a work of
genius.<a href="file:///C:/Users/Robyn/Documents/Dervish%20Dust/Dervish%20Dust%20Sept%202017.docx#_edn1" name="_ednref1" style="mso-endnote-id: edn1;" title=""><sup>128</sup></a>
Some years earlier he declared that he “desperately wanted to make this movie.”
After finishing the picture, he was less enthusiastic about the result, having
learned a valuable lesson: “Second-rate books, you can make films of, but true
masterpieces never should be transferred to the screen.” The story had been
considerably lightened and sanitized in an attempt to skew it toward a family
film. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Coburn
was interviewed for the same documentary about his experience working with
Mackendrick. “It was wonderful to watch him. He was producing the thing, helped
build the sets, moving. He was doing more than anybody could ask because he
wanted this thing to be really good. And he was very responsible to it. He’d
dreamed about it, he told me, for twenty years.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">He
went on to speak admiringly of Mackendrick’s ability with the child actors. The
director had often worked with children and “learned more about working with
adult actors from working with children.” He maintained an amazing level of
patience. “He was superb with them. He never raised his voice to them. He would
turn around, after this little girl who kept looking the same all the time, and
[make a face then turn back smiling]. ‘Yes, darling. Just right.’ He would go
after her and just… He knew how to do that. I don’t know how to do that. I
would lose my patience with the children. But he wouldn’t lose his patience with
anybody.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Working
with Mackendrick reinforced Coburn’s profound commitment to his art form. “I
think he taught me the value of film, of the honor of making film, of dealing
with the magical instrument, the realization of certain visions, the solidifying
of dreams—that responsibility… Ah… I don’t think there’s anything anybody can
do that’s more important than make films.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">A
little hyperbole, perhaps. At the time of the documentary, 1986, Coburn seemed
completely sincere in his beliefs about the cultural value of movies as a force
for social change. It was an idea that had long percolated around in his
thinking, and one that Beverly shared. She had written about it back in
1963—“Movies are the greatest propaganda we have, also the greatest setters of
style and attitude, and I feel we should use the responsibility positively.”<a href="file:///C:/Users/Robyn/Documents/Dervish%20Dust/Dervish%20Dust%20Sept%202017.docx#_edn2" name="_ednref2" style="mso-endnote-id: edn2;" title=""><sup>129</sup></a>
Back then, as a couple they were discussing ideas that would shortly influence
the next stage of his career. But in the meantime, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A High Wind in Jamaica </i>was an opportunity for him to really show
his charisma on screen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="mso-element: endnote-list;">
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<div id="edn1" style="mso-element: endnote;">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/Robyn/Documents/Dervish%20Dust/Dervish%20Dust%20Sept%202017.docx#_ednref1" name="_edn1" style="mso-endnote-id: edn1;" title=""><sup><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">128</span></sup></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Mackendrick:
The Man Who Walked Away 1/6,” YouTube video, 9:58, from a 1986 Scottish
Television documentary, posted by robinofgray, June 3, 2010, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfeLZYVIGsY.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="edn2" style="mso-element: endnote;">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/Robyn/Documents/Dervish%20Dust/Dervish%20Dust%20Sept%202017.docx#_ednref2" name="_edn2" style="mso-endnote-id: edn2;" title=""><sup><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">129</span></sup></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Beverly
Coburn to James Logan, January 17, 1963, private papers.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
</div>
<br /></div>
Robyn Coburn Writer/Artisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17118929626629581261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2741463609898064433.post-21651886579296513122018-08-24T06:00:00.000-07:002018-08-24T06:00:09.072-07:00Unboxing the paperbacks!<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7xUhEiTAmKo" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
I'm bringing them to <a href="http://www.freetobeconference.com/" target="_blank">Free to Be Unschooling Conference</a>, where I am presenting this year.<br />
<br />
I'll be speaking on Creativity, Misconceptions about Unschooling, and Job Hunting skills (hence the books), as well as hosting a crafting funshop about stamped clay pendants, and joining my daughter on a Q&A panel.<br />
<br />Robyn Coburn Writer/Artisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17118929626629581261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2741463609898064433.post-77811677272817218562018-08-23T17:42:00.003-07:002018-08-23T17:42:46.802-07:00Here's a documentary about one of James Coburn's great films.<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VQYVNwpaG90" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />Robyn Coburn Writer/Artisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17118929626629581261noreply@blogger.com0