“the book” series~ how difficult can it be?

well, a lot!

do you remember that me and sofia we are planning a book each? and actually i want to write just a children’s story… for which everybody recommends the 32 pages rule, which means, the book has to be all and all 32 pages. and actually if you are thinking of writing a picture book, which means that the pictures will tell parts of the story, then you actually need only 5 full pages of “manuscript” ~ ha, easy you will think, right?

no!

being very organized,i started with laying out my pages, and dividing the story i have in my head in 7 sections, and deciding what needs to happen in each section, and if each section takes 4 pages, then what needs to happen in each page, ~ ha, easy you will think, right?

2no!

cause having an idea of telling a story is much more high-level than actually writing the story! let me explain to you: having an idea for a story is like having an architecture drawing of your whole house; actually writing down the story, is deciding in exact centimeters on which wall of the bathroom the electricity plugs will be placed!!!

there are so many options, for each little part of my story: from the choice of characters (was it her mom or her aunt?), personality (gentle or outspoken), day-time (noon or afternoon), places (the park or the playground)…and this is only about the story!

think also about the audience.. is it for pre-school or kindergarden-ers? or maybe 7-year-old ones? all very close to each other, but yet so different in terms of what books they like! should the book be a funny one, or a meaningful one…

ahhh…so many questions in my head, so many decisions to make!

well, one thing is for sure! If you are one of those who thought that writing a book would be relaxing and you would to get away from all the every day decisions… well, start knitting!

speaking of books, check this amazing bookstore "El Ateneo Grand Splendid" in Barrio Norte neighborhood, in Buenos Aires, Argentina! the bookstore is built inside an almost 100 year old theater!

Image credits: Violinha

color within the lines & relax

on the second evening of this amazing new year, i found myself drawing with color pencils in one of my kids’ books. they were doing their own art, relaxing, just before bedtime, so i decided to indulge in my own page. and i found myself in such peace. yet, an exciting peace; what colors shall i chose, what if i color outside the lines, will it be very pretty when i m done? ah… all these small exquisite excitements.. and yet such a peaceful activity.

so this morning i decided to play the journalist and research what makes these coloring books, or even just one page, such a great entertainment?

i found quite a few academic (and non) researches, based on experiments that show evidence that indeed “structured coloring of a reasonably complex geometric pattern may induce a meditative state that benefits individuals suffering from anxiety (Curry et al., 2005)” and “adult coloring reduces depressive symptoms and anxiety(Flett et al., 2017)”. another research talked on how specifically women benefit from structured coloring, in comparison to both male getting more relaxed while drawing free style (Carsley et al., 2015)!

well, the only thing i can suggest is just try it! i loved it! after all this lovely buzz of the Christmas and new year’s festivities, relaxing with a good coloring book and some great color pencils, it was exactly what i needed for a january evening!

as you can see two of my books are with pictures from Greece! natasa bought them so our kids could learn a bit about the country, while coloring!  

if you are looking for buying yourself some nice coloring books, we can definitely recommend the ones that gifted Brittany (the house that lars built) made:

8 things to change in 2018

Happy New Year!

This year I decided to write down just 8 things I want to change in 2018... & I will also keep a monthly diary to track myself & make sure I stick to my resolutions!

{https://liagriffith.com/printable-new-years-resolution-cards/}

So, here they are:
1. Meditate 8 minutes per day;
2. Follow an 8-min daily beauty routine;
3. Sleep 8 hours per day;
4. Work 8 hours less per week;
5. Exercise 8 times per month;
6. Meet, call & catch up with friends 8 times per month;
7. Cook 8 new recipes or visit 8 new restaurants throughout the year;
and, last but not least,
8. Write 8 posts per month!
Let's see if I make it!!!

{https://liagriffith.com/printable-new-years-resolution-cards/}

"the book" series~ christmas resolutions

well, yes, forget all about the “new year resolutions”! that is totally passé…not only because we never keep the new year ones, but also because you can now have a better combo: combine christmas resolutions with an advent calendar, i.e. set up a goal that can be accomplished in 25 days in december… til christmas!

{i know, i should have written this post like a month ago, but now you know for next year}

oh happy day

thus, me and sofia, my good friend and neighbor, got ourselves a challenge: she wants to write a book (a proper one) and i want to write a children’s book (more like a story) and voilà!

{nope...we have not written one book each, in 25 days...}

but we decided to make “the plan of the plan!”~ use the 25 days for planning how to get around with writing a book. and we set up weekly goals until christmas. what we wanted to make sure to check, research, brainstorm and resolve, so when the new year comes, 1st of january, we are ready, there, with our pens (or keyboards), ready to start typing…

well, with only 3 days left for christmas. I can assure you that we are pretty much behind with our plan of how we plan to write our books… but it is all so much worth it! we have definitely initiated something in our hearts and our brains, and although we might take another "challenge" month to get prepared, i assure you we will soon start writing!!! 

follow our journey in “the book” series!

p.s:  do you have any good resolutions?

photo by raw pixel on unsplash

"dad had told me you had to work if you wanted to get on life..."

last night i was reading to my boys a greek version of the book ”little nicholas*”, an all-time-classic by René Goscinny, with the amazing and so simple illustrations by Jean-Jacques Sempé.

it had been a long weekend, with many arrangements, playdates, dinner at friends, spending christmas cozy time with grandma, playing with the inches of snowing that came sunday morning out in the park… and of course, as it happens to all non~kellogg’s~families a lot of everyday frustrations, tidying up, a bit of shouting, “eat-your-food”, “pick-up-your-toys”, etc. etc. etc…

so, it was actually revealing to find myself laughing out loud reading the stories told by little nicholas, with his innocent storytelling and his efforts to understand the way adults behave! i am not sure who René Goscinny’s audience actually was, the parents or the kids… cause the book is highly amusing, and provides a sweet commonground for parents to understand (or remind themselves) how kids think, while the children read a story told from someone …well someone exactly like them! 

and, as you can imagine, although it was sunday evening and i was tired (that means a bit grumpy), my mood became so much better; the stories of "petit nicolas" was the best medicine for sunday blues!

i have to say also that the greek translation, by the award winning Rita Kolaiti, is extremely good, and i had the opportunity to explain to my kids a lot of good greek words, some more childlike, that one feels a bit nostalgic about, cause we don’t use them anymore!

actually, natasa bought this book for us, when our son, our little nikolas, was born.
and my good friend thekla bought us the english version; thank you girls!

*Le petit Nicolas (Little Nicholas) is a series of French children's books and it was first published on March 29, 1959.
The books talk about childhood in 1950s France. The recent years, the books have been also turned into two films and one TV series!

so, if you are looking for an uplifting book to read (yourselves!) or with your kids, pick up any story from the series! trust me, this little guy will make you smile widely, the least!

paris is always a nice idea!

a month has passed since the tragic events in Paris & Europe is still trying to heal its wounds.
Paris is a special place for me... it is the place where I got married, the place where I celebrated my 30th birthday, the place I visit when I have an important reason to celebrate life!
however, it is always better to let French people express their feelings about this magnificent city. this is exactly what Benjamin Millepied, director of the Paris Opera Ballet & husband of Natalie Portman, did through this stunning short film. a pair of dancers are virtually flying above the roof of the Palais Garner. & Paris is ready to welcome a new era...

when fashion meets art (part. 2)

here is another example of the often intermingled paths of fashion & art. of course, art can take whichever form. & one thing in common between this example & the previous one is that both protagonists are in their own distinct way fashion icons. so, if you have 15 minutes to spare, watch this short film written & directed by Geremy Jasper for Belstaff.
"Outlaws" is a surreal film within a film starring David Beckham as the stranger - a mysterious drifter & motorcycle stuntman, haunted by memories of a beautiful trapeze artist & hunted by a maniacal director seeking revenge, as mentioned on the Belstaff webpage. Intrigued?

when fashion meets art (part. 1)

i am almost speechless to discover this amazing coverage of Cate Blanchett for W Magazine, December/January issue.

she is anyway one of my favourite actresses, but these images are just beyond any imagination. & there are just the perfect example of how fashion & art are so intertwined, that sometimes it can be difficult to tell them apart.
enjoy!

if you also want to have a look at the interview itself, just press here.

the goldfinch

summer is gone, so are our summer reads...
& although I never reached my target of reading 3 books in 3 weeks (target totally unrealistic now that I am thinking about it), it was only yesterday when I did manage to conclude "The Goldfinch" written by Donna Tartt...

I have been wanting to read it since the moment I found out about it, almost 2 years ago!
the story is about Theo (Theodore) Decker, a 13-year old boy who initially lives in New York City. his life is turned upside down due to an event of immense dimensions. in contrast, his teenage years are haunted by a painting of far from huge dimensions. the book is based on the triptych: love, almost obsession, self-destruction & art. the narrative is pretty dense, modern & easy to read. the feelings the book brings about? in my case, it was sympathy, sadness, disappointment sometimes, shock, understanding. I was so glad to see that Theo found his own redemption at the end! plus, the last pages of the book are pretty interesting and, at least in my view, a little out of the ordinary. as you can see, i am not revealing much, in case you are interested in reading the book yourselves!
"The Goldfinch" won the Pulitzer prize for fiction in 2014 & it is about to make its next step towards the big screen. for more eloquent reviews you can click here and here.