Kristina Stanley

Volleyball While Sailing?

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 5 Comments

We often get asked how we keep fit while cruising, and usually I write about the sports I like to do. Today I thought I share a bit of Matt’s life on the  beach. He’s the one in the red shirt about to set the ball.

Volleyball

Everyday on Volleyball beach a group of people meet to play ball. There is anything from 2s to 9s at all levels of play. The 9s is fun volleyball. It’s comprised of nine people on each side, and as far as I can tell, a lot of laughter is mandatory.

On the other end of the scale is 2s. This is for the more serious players and Matt’s personal favourite. Next comes 3s and then 4s. Nothing like a bit of competition to make a guy happy.

If you’re interested in this lifestyle, Mattina is for sale.

Thanks for reading . . .

Farley’s Friday: A Wheaten in a Dinghy

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 2 Comments

Farley here,

I’m a dog who is treated well and sometimes I’m a bit of a baby.  The water may look flat, but that’s an illusion. We’re about to head around the corner of an island and into open seas – and I don’t like to get wet.

Farley s Dinghy Ride

Did that last statement surprise you? I’m a dog who lives on a boat, spends hours every day on the beach, and my car is a dinghy. So what am I talking about? Seriously, getting wet annoys me. Kristina knows it. Sometimes she humours me – like in the photo above and holds me tight, but other times, she just says, “Suck it up, buttercup.”

“What does that mean?” I bark.

“You live on the ocean, pup,” she says.

The dinghy bounces and spray hits my face. Then I look my cutest and Kristina gives in, and you can see the results. I get to ride on her lap.

“Suck it up, buttercup,” I bark and make Kristina laugh.

Woof Woof . . .

Why Did I Ever Watch Jaws?

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 4 Comments

Is there a movie you wish you’d never seen?

Mine is Jaws. Even though I watched the scary movie a long time ago, the dreaded music sounds off in my head – and you know the music I am talking about – as soon as I swim laps. I like to watch a scary movie, something like Aliens works for me. I know I’ll never have to face an alien the way Sigourney Weaver did – at least I hope I won’t. But sharks? I’m in the ocean most days. I love to swim laps, but I’ve yet to make it through a session without thinking of Jaws.

Below are two dolphins swimming along my favourite beach for laps. A mom swimming with her young one. A lovely sight. An amazing opportunity to swim in the wild with a wild animal.  A big grey creature, but not the kind to be afraid of.

Dolphins at Sand Dollar

My only close up and personal encounter with a shark happened while I was kayaking. Unlucky for me, I got between a shark and its lunch. The annoyed shark bumped the side of my kayak. A good message to tell me to get away from the buffet. All the food was spoken for. Was I scared – yup. Did I go right back to the same spot the next day – yup. Somehow I feel safe in the kayak, but not while I’m swimming.

Someone please turn off the Jaws music so I can swim in peace.

Thanks for reading . . .

Procrastination Can Be A Writer’s Friend

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 2 Comments

Procrastination? Don’t feel like writing but want to hit your word count?

Writing a novel can be an intimidating task, so why not try something shorter?

For me, when I’m overwhelmed or feel too pressured by word count, I write something else. I like to have my blogs written and pre posted. In my lifestyle, I’m never sure I’ll have internet access on a daily basis, so writing blogs ahead of time reduces the stress for me. You’re probably laughing and thinking what stress can I have living on a boat for the winter, but I take my writing and my blog seriously. Self induced stress, but still stress.

How does writing in smaller increments help with novel writing?

I find by taking on a shorter piece of work, I often get in the flow of writing and can switch over to the novel. Even if I don’t, I’ve been productive and written something.

Does it have to be a blog? Nope. You could write a short story or an entry in your journal.

How do you kickstart your writing?

Thanks for reading . . .

Farley’s Friday: A Wheaten Wears A Collar

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 8 Comments

Farley here,

I have a little cut on my leg. How I got it, I don’t know. Kristina cleans my wound and rubs on something she calls antibiotic cream. Not so bad really, but then I see her sneak back into the my medical kit, yes I have my own medical kit on Mattina, and I know what’s coming.

I run along the port side of Mattina and jump on the tramp.

“No, no, no,” I bark.

Kristina is coming with the dreaded cone of shame. She reaches the tramp . . .

But I’m faster. I run along the starboard side, jump into the cockpit, scamper into the main salon and launch myself onto the port bed. Now, I’m not allowed up there, so I know I’ve made mistake. I’ve cornered myself.

“Stop,” I bark. “I won’t lick my cut. I promise.”

But nope, Kristina grabs my front paws and drags me off the bed.

“Pretty please,” I whine in my nicest voice. “Don’t make me wear that.”

Well, you can see how that worked out for me.

Here I sit, looking silly.

Farley with cone

Don’t tell Kristina, but this thing is actually pretty comfortable when I’m lying down. I have my own personal pillow that goes everywhere with me.

Woof Woof.

Books about the Writing Life

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 4 Comments

Do you love to read books about writing and life as a writer?

Ann Patchett has just released a series of essays on her life as a writer. Now, I’ve only read three of the essays and think they are fabulous.

In This Is A Story Of A Happy Marriage, Patchett writes about how she started writing, her life as a child, her life with dogs, diverse. It’s personal and well written, so I thought I’d share here in case you are interest.

Patchett’s books include:

  • The Magician’s Assistant
  • The Patron Saint of Liars
  • Bell Canto
  • Truth & Beauty: A Friendship
  • State of Wonder

And now This Is A Story Of A Happy Marriage.

If you have any suggesting for books by writers writing about their life, let me know.

Thanks for reading . . .

Farley’s Friday: One Tired Wheaten Terrier

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 6 Comments

Farley here,

Kristina is crazy. She made me run 12 km. I told her I wanted to nap in the shade, but she ignored me.

Now look at me.

Farley 12 k run

I need a long, long nap to recover. Luckily, I got to the best seat in the cockpit first. I have my own towel to cover the seats, like I’m sandy or something, but once I’m settled, it’s pretty nice.

Kristina’s napping too, so I don’t feel guilty at all. And if I have to run with her, the least she can do is let me sleep later.

Woof Woof.

Setting the Scene: Template for A Novel

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 6 Comments

Last week I wrote about my template for writing a scene. One of the questions I asked in that template was:  Is the setting the best place for emotional impact?

How do I answer that question? I use another template. For each setting, I ask myself:

What is the Setting Role in Story:

Who are the Related Characters:

Season:

Unique Features of the Setting:

Description:

Sights:

Sounds:

Smells:

Notes:

 

This allows me to determine if I’ve described the scene in a vivid manner. If I can’t answer most of the questions,  I don’t think the scene is the best place for emotional impact. I don’t believe sight, sound and smell have to be in every scene, but there should be something there.

The real purpose of the template is to make myself think about the scene in a structured way. If you have a way to do this, I’d love to hear about it.

Thanks for reading . . .

Farley’s Friday: A Wheaton Gets In Trouble

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 2 Comments

Farley here,

If you’ve been reading, you know I’m a good dog. But don’t all dogs have issues once in a while?

I don’t beg. I don’t jump on people. I don’t bark often, okay I bark when I see a dolphin or a turtle. I also bark when Kristina goes swimming. So it’s a water thing with me.

Anyway, I’ve lost focus already because I don’t want to tell you I misbehaved. Kristina told me I had to since I only write good things about myself.

I was innocently digging in the mud when I spotted something bright yellow. Now, you say to yourself, at this point, I should have taken stock and chosen a different path forward.

Farley and Bag 1

Good thought, but not what happened. The next thing I know, I’m biting and tossing Kristina’s water proof camera bag. Not good, I know. I couldn’t seem to stop myself. Even with Kristina telling me to stop, I just couldn’t do it.

Farley and Bag 2

The best thing about my human is even when she’s not happy with me, she’s smiling at me. The worst I get is, “What do you think you’re doing?”

Not so talented with discipline, is she.

Woof Woof.

Scene Development

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 2 Comments

Writing is an endless process of revisions and editing, at least for me. So how does a writer know when a scene if finished? I use a template, shown below, to make me ask myself some hard questions. Once I can fill in the blanks below, I feel like I have a working draft of a scene.

I also have templates for settings and a detailed spreadsheet to keep track or dates, when a character is introduced, weather, etc., but template below gives me a sense of whether the scene has done its job in the context of the novel.

My template keeps growing and changing with each novel, but here it is in it’s current format.

Beginning = Hook:

Middle = Development:

Climax = Disaster:

Action (Scene or Sequel):

What does POV Want:

Outcome if POV fails:

How Does Scene Move Plot Forward:

How Does Scene Builds on Previous Scene:

How Does Scene Leads to Next Scene:

What’s Happening Between Characters That’s Not Spelt Out:

Is Setting Best Place For Emotional Impact?

Do you have anything you could add to the template?  I like to add new items that I can think about.

Thanks for reading . . .