Mini Writing Retreat

 

I'm on writing retreat this week... of my own making. 

We've been offered the use of a lovely penthouse apartment with a large terrace

and stunning views in the Vista/Washington Park area of Portland for a few months.

So besides taking a few long weekends this fall/winter with my sweetie,

I'm also taking a few days to myself as a writing retreat and starting a new writing project. 

Since we can't do our usual coast retreats this year, the use of the apartment is such a blessing  

so I'm extremely grateful. 

Sharing a few photos of the park within walking distance. 

Above is a zoom-in shot of the full moon setting this week

taken of the entrance of Washington Park from the terrace just before the sun rose.

And below is the entrance walking on foot. 

One day while on a break,

I walked up to the International Rose Garden just to see if there were any left. 

And while there was lots of gorgeous fall color,

there were only a handful of roses. 

 I did find a rhodie in full bloom in November. 

And a few blue hydrangeas left.

Below is part of the terrace view.

My sweet work space. 

And more of the terrace.

My favorite view!

So as we are soon to learn the news of who will lead our country,

remember to take good care of yourselves. 

Especially tomorrow. 

It's most likely going to be a bumpy ride. 

So save your despair or elation for the final count. 

And breathe! 

(All Photos copyright Kirsten Steen)

Paris Writing Spot... and Reopening

What a difference a few months make! 

Global Pandemic! Civil Rights Movement! Rioting in the streets. 

It's a whole new world. 

And all leading up to the election of our lifetimes. 

Time for a short Paris break! 

It looks like Paris is starting to open up. 

With fewer cases, Macron is easing restrictions on cafes and restaurants,

including travel bans from European countries.

Schools will open next week. 

My last post was a photo of a place I wrote in the Pacific Northwest. 

This photo is a place I've spent time writing in Paris. 

Just across the Champ de Mars from us near the Eiffel Tower,

it's a cafe/resto of the same name,

Le Champ de Mars.

This photo seemed appropriate for the opening of restaurants and bars. 

I also just realized that it was on this date in 2004,

that we began our year off to live in Paris. 

What an adventure that was! 

So the big news from here

is that I am finally querying New York literary agents 

with my novel. Wish me luck!

And in the meantime, during the lock down here, 

I've been taking more online writing classes, journal writing,

more cooking, and thinking about the next book in the series. 

We were supposed to be in Paris (and Greece) this spring

but the pandemic and travel bans put a halt to that. 

So I'm trying to make good use of my time

but oh how I wish I was sitting at a cafe

writing and people watching 

in the City of Light!

Hopefully soon!

Hope you are healthy and well!

It's a painful, excruciating time.

It's a time of loss but also of growth and soul stretching....

which are all painful. 

But good things come from seeds underground. 

May you find exactly what you need.  

(Photo copyright: Kirsten Steen)

Brightening it up

Happy December!

It's already dark, drab and dreary here in the Pacific Northwest. 

At least it's not snowing. 

So I'm trying to find ways to brighten things up. 

Thank goodness for Christmas which adds lots of lights and cheer to everything. 

I told The Ed the other day that I can't wait for winter to be over

and he reminded me that it hasn't begun yet. 

 So I told him I'm just pretending that we live in Scotland

and he says we're enjoying a lovely Scottish summer! 

I've gotten out my happy light.

I've started making one of my writing days at this charming place,

the recently revamped Coburg Pizza Company

(which is also Nana's Cafe with a full list of coffee & tea drinks).

It's like a giant upscale barn with a stone fireplace

and old Betty Boop cartoons or Charlie Chaplin movies 

on the big screen above the fireplace. 

I'll try to come back another time with more photos of the interior. 

Just wanted to wish you a happy end of 2019

and a joyous beginning to the new decade. 

This year was by far better than last year

and things are looking up. 

Hope you're finding ways to brighten your Scottish summer!

xoxo

***********************

Coburg Pizza Company
(Nana's Cafe)

90999 S. Willamette St. 

Coburg, OR 97408

541.484.6400

Open weekdays 6:30-9

Fri-Sat 6:30-10

Sun 7:30-9

Novel Setting & Deep Breathing

It's been a rough week here in the US

with the hearings (don't even want to say his name) for the Supreme Court nominee,

 feelings of frustration and betrayal along party lines, fear and anxiety among women,

the list goes on and on. Emotions are high. Women are trying to stand together

and at the same time, I'm seeing some very reactive behavior. 

Me included. 

Anybody else wake up in the mornings with just a tad bit of anxiety?! 

Maybe even more than usual?!

Sometimes I wake with the feeling that I just can't do what's expected on this planet. 

And I don't have what you would call a high stress life,

especially after my injury put me out of work. 

But the feeling is still there, like I'm not meant for this place and have no idea

how to navigate what must be waded through.  

It feels like it's sometimes too much for my brain to comprehend. 

Luckily, it's my writing day

so I'm retreating into my novel

where many of those above feelings are still located 

but my job is only to help my characters navigate

and try to make the language work as smoothly as I can. 

The photo above is the Prior's Table Restaurant 

(within a 12th century Cistercian abbey in the French countryside 

called Abbaye des Vaux de Cerney) 

where my love interests meet and set up their first date. 

I'm in my final read through before sending out 

to my last round of readers. 

Wishing you a good week

and hoping whatever you are navigating 

is nothing but smooth sailing. 

Be sure to take deep breaths and 

hold someone's hand if needed! 

I'm here if you need me. 

For more photos and info on the Abbaye, 

Click Here

(Photo copyright: Kirsten Steen)

Book Bento~ The Shark Curtain

Happy Spring All! 

I've been having fun making Book Bentos on Instagram.

Just finished Chris Scofield's book The Shark Curtain

and created this picture using a few symbols from the novel. 

While the book is considered a YA novel,

it's not just for YA readers

dealing with plenty of grown up issues. 

But once you're inside Lily Asher's 14 year old head,

in 1960's Portland, Oregon,

it's hard to see the world 'normally' again. 

But in a good way. 

Check it out if you're looking for something 

fresh, creative, unique and edgy. 

And in the meantime,

enjoy the early days of spring

with a cup of tea and a good book! 

(Photo copyright: Kirsten Steen)

Baptistry Mosaics

As promised,

here are photos of the interior of 

the octagonal Baptistry in Florence from last week.

Oh to be in Florence again! 

I know of an author who rents herself an apartment 

in whichever country she happens to be setting her next novel

and then spends that month writing there. 

One of my future goals! 

And actually, that's why I'm posting photos of Florence,

because part of my novel is set there

and this way we can feel like we're there. 

I love that most of these photos and mosaics

depict angels in them. 

The scene below, of course, needs no explanation.

Can you imagine being responsible for putting all of these tiny mosaics in place?! 

I'm setting up a schedule 

to try to get my novel ready for Beta Readers this summer.

I'm NOT a puzzle person

but writing a novel feels a little like trying to place all the mosaics

in all the right places,
fitting all the correct colors with the right scenes
but without too much rigidity
and more than a splash of imagination.
There's a structured whole yet with individual chapters and scenes
which must have their own flavor and color,
textures and tapestries.

And I'm teaching myself novel writing as I go

so I especially appreciate this last mosaic

of an angel bringing information

during sleep. 

I'm working on the last little bits

of trying to make this book puzzle work

and will take all the help I can get. 

(All Photos copyright: Kirsten Steen)

Bronze doors of the Baptistry in Florence

So while my novel put me in Florence

thought I'd share a couple of exterior photos of the Baptistry. 

The above are the North Doors

created by Lorenzo Ghiberti.

These were originally the East Doors but moved to the North side.

Ghiberti was 21 when he won the competition 

(beating out Brunelleschi!)

and began the commission of the gilded bronze doors

which took him 21 years to finish. 

The first two are the Annunciation (always my favorite)

and the Nativity. 

The doors to the Baptistry are what Michelangelo called

The Gates of Paradise. 

Dante and the members of the Medici family,

as well as most Catholic Florentines,

were baptized in the Baptistry of St. John,

--an octagonal basilica in the Piazza del Duomo 

just next to the main Florence Cathedral--

and was built between 1059 and 1128.

Buried within the quatrefoil,

Ghiberti included plants and insects known to be harmful.

In Medieval thinking,

that was a way of keeping evil away.

Next time a few photos of the 

gorgeous mosaics that make up the ceiling of the interior.

(Photo copyright: Kirsten Steen)

(Info via Wiki)

Ponte Vecchio sunset

Recently I spent a week at my writing retreat on the Oregon Coast

and immersed myself in novel writing

... which put me in Italy. 

So as promised,

here is a bridge view in Florence.

My novel's love interests end up at a villa

overlooking one of my favorite cities in Italy

while they try to save civilization 

from foreign and domestic terrorism. 

Btw, I LOVE how these old bridges

still have shops ON them.

And in medieval times,

people actually lived in houses on the bridge. 

Oh, Florence!

Be still my heart.

(Here's another shot in Florence
from awhile back.)

Next week, Venice!

Ciao.

(Photo copyright: Kirsten Steen)

Eiffel Tower pond

Another tiny slice of Paris today

cause as always, I'm missing it.

But also because, like last time,

I'm giving you a small glimpse into my novel-in-progress.

My last post showed the Champs de Mars cave

where my protagonists (also love interests) spent some time.

And this is the view back across the duck pond 

to the base of the Eiffel Tower 

where they dance together. 

And tomorrow we'll get a little glimpse of Florence, Italy

where they end up chasing suspense.

And next week Venice. 

Til then,

A bientot.

(Photo copyright: Kirsten Steen) 

Cave in Champs de Mars

Another quick visit 

just a snapshot or two

of the cave 

that my protagonist and 

her love interest visit

in my novel

which I'm getting ready for beta readers. 

This location is a little man-made cave

which sits on a tiny pond

just next to the base of the Eiffel Tower.

Trying to get some inspiration 

for a scene I'm trying to finish. 

Thanks for coming with me. 

(Photos copyright: Kirsten Steen)

Florence on my mind...Travelin' Tuesday

I'm busy working on the novel this week 

from my writing retreat on the Oregon Coast

and my characters are in Florence right this minute

so it seemed a good time to pull out some of the Florence photos. 

I don't recall the exact location of this spot 

but pretty sure it is right near the Uffizi Gallery...

and the Arno river...and the Ponte Vecchio bridge. 

The shot reminds me of olives smothered in olive oil

and authentic pizza with red wine...

like this...

My characters are in the midst of a helicopter tour of Florence

with one of the most wealthy moguls in the world

which I never got to do 

but it was fun to write about.

(Photo copyright: Kirsten Steen)

Your First Novel~Teaser Tuesday

Hosted by MizB at should be reading.

Here's how to play:

*Grab your current read,

*Open to a random page,

*Share a few “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page,

*Please no spoilers!

*Share the title and author.

I am on the Oregon Coast this week at my twice yearly writing retreat (Colonyhouse) and ecstatic to tell you that I have finally finished the last chapter of the first draft of my novel. So my pick this Teaser Tuesday is a book I brought with me called Your First Novel: a published author and a top agent share the keys to achieving your dream by Ann Rittenberg and Laura Whitcomb (and I'm sorry to say I cannot seem to copy the book to share the cover with you.)  Ann Rittenberg is president of her literary agency by the same name and Laura Whitcomb is the author of  another writing book, Novel Shortcuts: Ten Techniques That Ensure a Great First Draft and the novels A Certain Slant of Light and Fetch.

I loved this section (p. 69) partly because it includes an excerpt from Toni Morrison's Beloved:

     "Try to include exposition and back story in the most natural way you can. Sometimes you can sneak it into dialogue if your character is meeting someone new, but be careful you aren't forcing characters to say things they wouldn't say naturally..."

     "...Here's an example of back story revealed through dialogue from Toni Morrison's Beloved: Both the fact that Sethe, the second speaker in the example below, was scarred in a near fatal beating, and the fact that she is now able to talk about her life as a slave with such calm, show the reader a great deal about her past and who she has become. 

     'What tree on your back? Is something growing on your back? I don't see nothing growing on your back.'

     'It's there all the same.'

     'Who told you that?'

     'Whitegirl. That's what she called it. I've never seen it and never will. But that's what she said it looked like. A chokecherry tree. Trunk, branches, and even leaves. Tiny little chokecherry leaves. But that was eighteen years ago. Could have cherries too now for all I know.'"

I'm off to read more from the book since I will spend the rest of my week delving into ways to work my 2nd draft. What an adventure this book-writing process.  Hope you're all having a spectacular week ! 

Vero

Locally, one of my favorite places to write is a newer cafe in an old house
 that is so beloved, it's frequently difficult to find a table...

On-street parking is hard to come by

(and its 2 hour parking limits writing time)...

Tea prices are nearly double some of our other local cafes...

But something about its sweetness and charm,
with hardwood floors and mismatched furniture,

makes the downfalls worth it.
(It could also have something to do with serving Stumptown Coffee from Portland
by baristas specially trained in the art of espresso.)

 

Often filled with students from the University

and real estate agents from a closeby firm...

it's a good mix of higher learning and Go-Get-'Em energy
as well as a great place for a light breakfast or lunch.

I find myself a coveted vacant spot, unleash my computer or notebook,

sip my chai and set about trying to focus on my w.i.p.'s most pressing questions.

On my birthday last year,

I cheated and simply brought a good book, curling up for some decadent, quiet reading time.

While I have a different regular cafe for writing in (with a few less difficulties),

I do on occasion indulge myself here just for a lovely change of pace!

Vero means Truth in Italian.

True, real, genuine.

Maybe that's what I love about it.

(All photographs copyright: Kirsten Steen)

Writing Cafe in Paris~ Missing Paris Day

(Photographs copyright: Kirsten Steen)

My last trip to Paris

I think I told you that I spent one particular day writing

in several cafes, churches and the infamous Shakespeare and Co.

trying purposefully to fit them all into one day.

One of the cafes was Le Champ de Mars

just across the park of the same name

which separates the 15th and the 7th arrondissement

and houses the monument-iful Tour Eiffel.

I have yet to walk through this park without being able to take my eyes off the tower. Funny that something so despised by the French in the beginning should become such a national symbol. Like the Golden Gate Bridge and Big Ben, anyone who sees this symbol in a photo or tv clip knows instantly where they are.

The tree-lined alleys are typically hopping with joggers,

le sport of jogging having 'stuck' in France.

On this particular day, I ordered myself a lait chaud

and set about filling longhand pages in my notebook...





...taking notes on the interior of the cafe...

...the people...

...and, as they were preparing for lunch,

the powerful French aromas emanating from the kitchen.

A friend of ours goes to Paris nearly every summer for two months

to study painting under a Montmartre artiste.

I've made a couple of requests regarding certain scenes in the neighborhood

and I think Cafe Le Champ de Mars might make the perfect subject matter!

Paris definitely has that je ne sais quoi

that attracts artistes of every ilk.

What is it, do you think, that inspires such devotion to artistry in this city?