Happy Friday, folks.
Since I have a few things to take care of, there won’t be a proper post today. I apologise. I’ll be back in full swing on Monday.
Have a good weekend!
Writing, as Taught by Kids’ TV Shows
A year or so ago, I read a writing exercise idea on a blog that changed the way I view watching TV. The blogger in question would make notes of, then dissect the episode she was watching. She’d figure out which plot points worked, which didn’t, where the dialogue fell flat, where it rocked, and how she would have improved the episode. By doing this, she swore she learned better writing techniques. (I’m sorry I can’t find the link to this article now.)
I’ve never taken an episode apart like that, but I haven’t really viewed anything on the telly in the same way either. This thing about learning better writing from TV has remained in the back of my mind, so my viewing has become more critical.
The June Report
My… month in pictures? The monthly recap? As far as alternative titles go, these aren’t the best. Sorry. 🙂
Since I didn’t do a single post with photos from this month, I thought I’d give you an overview today (all my WIP posts were of adventures from past months). I’ve been toying with this recap post idea for a while, since so many of our photos taken in the week are share-worthy, but never get featured because they weren’t taken on weekends.
Review – Farber Castell Albrecht Durer Watercolour Pencils
A lot of my art-loving friends have asked me how I find these pencils and, since you want to read about art related stuff, I figured I’d do a review.
I got these puppies last Christmas and have been using them at least twice a week since. Without spoiling the review, I love them. I’ve had other brands of watercolour pencils before, including the budget range from Farber Castell, but these are my favourite by far.
Noob Writers Unite
I had a conversation about writing with my cousin, as we often do. Afterwards, I kept thinking how great it would have been if I’d known which mistakes to avoid when I just started writing.
Yes, I could have googled something stupid, like how to write a novel. Today, the ‘duh’ is weighty enough to crush me. I’m realising though, many noob writers don’t seem to do the googling. And I’m going to go out on a limb here and say it seems the pantsers are the most guilty party.
Wild Park Fun
You all know how Kayla feels about animals. Here’s a hint, she adores them. One of the greatest things about Germany is that we can throw a stone and hit a petting zoo. If you’ve been around the blog, you know we often hang around these kinds of places. Around the end of May, we upped our game and took her to this awesome mini game reserve, Naturwildpark Granat.
Lesson Learnt
The answer came through the random comment from a friend. You need time off to refill the well.
The ironies upon ironies I’m faced with now are shocking. Not only have many friends and loved ones made similar statements, but didn’t I write a post with the same friggen message? The answer is yes. Yes, I did.
If you have no idea what I mean, I went off on a tangent about the glass, and the argument over it being half empty or half full. Here’s a spoiler, I don’t support either of those opinions. It’s still one of my most popular posts over on the Couch, and still one of my personal favourites too.
YouTube Artists I Love
The other day, I asked you what you want to see on the blog. The answer was pretty strong in the art-direction. (By the way, if you have more suggestions for the blog, don’t be afraid to share them. 🙂 )
I thought I’d kick this off by sharing some of the artists that inspire me. I might do a separate post of this nature for those folks I follow on Instagram (be a dear and follow me too) since so many of them don’t have YouTube channels. That I know of, anyway. 🙂
Japan Day 2017
Japan day took place on the 20th of May, in Düsseldorf. This yearly event sees thousands of cosplayers in the city, all to see the firework shows, sumo wrestling, samurai artefacts, talks hosted by the Japanese Embassy and so much more.
Most people come to dress up, though. Some come in full costume, so detailed and realistic that they could have stepped out of the fantasy world they’re representing. It’s insane. Others come with no more than a Pikachu hat and a sign around their necks offering free hugs.
What I Love About Germany (TGC)
Have you noticed that people tend to share their bad experiences online, especially in groups on social media? Well, this topic led to the post you’re about to read. A friend of mine read some really negative stuff about immigration on Facebook and I told her not to believe everything she read online. People love to rant on Facebook, after all.
I realised that I’ve been doing the same, even on my blog. I’ve shared the differences between South Africa and Germany, the oddities we’ve encountered here, and even some of the bad experiences we’ve had, but I’ve never talked about what I love.
So, here we are.
