~ Written by Danielle N. Bilski ~

This week began with the arrival of a package. Over the weekend I supported some of my fellow writers by purchasing three books online (because if I go into a bookshop there is a good chance I won’t come out. Well not for quite a while and at least one book later)! I figured that they were books that I would buy eventually, because two of them are sequels to two of my favourite books. The third is a memoir documenting an intriguing experiment called ‘Living Oprah’ written, conceived and experienced by Robyn Okrant.

On Tuesday morning, I woke to find my brand new books had arrived. I love the feeling of opening a new book for the very first time and carefully turning the crisp white pages containing words that have been carefully crafted to publishable perfection. I marvel at their shiny covers and can’t help but envy the authors whose names grace their life’s work in formatted, accessible brilliance. Everything I aspire to.

The first book I choose to read is ‘Living Oprah’. I cannot put into words the reason for my choice, because I am not one hundred percent sure why, but something about the idea of following the commit one woman has made to follow all of Oprah’s advice for an entire calendar year (366 days and a leap year at that) I find utterly awe inspiring for this, my own writing project.

I was itching to start my literary journey with Robyn, but had to go to work so I made sure I took her with me. On my lunch break I savoured the 30 minutes I had to meet Robyn and join the world she explained with such honesty and humour. By page 5, I was hooked! As my lunch break ended I reluctantly created a book mark from a folded piece of paper out of my notebook and resumed my work, willing the afternoon to go quickly so I could return to Robyn’s world full of excitement and apprehension as she embarked on a voluntary year of research, homework and self-reflection under the guidance and direction of Oprah’s media empire; The Oprah Show, O: The Oprah Magazine and Oprah.com. For me, it is one of those ‘can’t put down’ books which has lived up to the cliche in the best possible way.

The reason I am writing about this book so much, is because it has come at a crucial time in my own writing journey and I have found similarities in the creative process Robyn undertook in writing ‘Living Oprah’, from setting up an online blog to share her experiences with an online audience as the project progressed, to her expectation that her mother may be the only one to follow her blog and trying to remain as stringent in her conscientiousness of following the project rules to meet the expectations she set for self.

I can relate to her optimism, her intrigue, her low expectations of other’s interest but high expectations of herself. I admire her sincerity and vulnerability, her openness and willingness to try something outside her comfort zone with the hope of learning something from it and letting us peer into her day-to-day life so we might learn something ourselves. Her gratefulness for her online followers shows how humble and grounded she is even while no aspect of her life remains untouched by Oprah’s influence.

I am halfway through reading ‘Living Oprah’ and I don’t want it to end, but even after I do read the final words Robyn leaves me with, I will be grateful for this shiny covered inspiration that has shown me that there is someone else out there who has created something they are passionate about while remaining true to herself and is grateful for anyone who spends time with her humble project.

We all need someone or something to remind us that we are not alone, but that we must first be willing to spend time with ourselves to discover the truth we are look for, before sharing it with a world that is willing to listen.

I thank you for your continuous support of me and this project. While my expectations are low for those following my journey, I expect a lot from myself. Sometimes all anyone needs is some time to figure things out. Thank you for giving me the time. I appreciate it so much more than words on a computer screen can express and those who know me know how much it really means.

I love you and am forever grateful for letting my dreams come true through your eyes.

Finally, thank you to Robyn Okrant. I don’t know you personally but thank you for sharing your journey with me and the world. You are inspiring beyond words. I hope you have found the wellness and happiness your project aimed to achieve and much more. © 2010 Danielle N. Bilski

~ Written by Danielle N. Bilski ~

Let’s start by defining the words ‘authentic’, ‘authenticity’ and ‘fiction’ using Wiktionary.com.

authentic; adjective

1. Of the same origin as claimed; genuine.

   The experts confirmed it was an authentic signature.

2. Conforming to reality and therefore worthy of trust, reliance, or belief.

   The report was completely authentic.

3. (obsolete) Having authority.

authenticity; noun

1. The quality of being genuine or not corrupted from the original.

   I hereby certify that this is an authentic copy.

2. Truthfulness of origins, attributions, commitments, sincerity, and intentions.

   The painting was not authentic after all; it was just a copy.

3. (obsolete) The quality of being authentic (of established authority).

fiction (plural fictions); noun

From Latin fictionem, accusative of fictio (“‘a making, fashioning, a feigning, a rhetorical or legal fiction’”) < fingere (“‘to form, mold, shape, devise, feign’”).

1. Literary type using invented or imaginative writing, instead of real facts, usually written as prose.

   The company’s accounts contained a number of blatant fictions.

   I am a great reader of fiction.

2. (uncountable) Invention.

   The butler’s account of the crime was pure fiction.

This week I have been thinking a lot about the importance of doing reliable research about the main themes that ‘My time with you’ will be encapsulating. This has also lead me to think about the idea of authenticity and ensuring that the fiction that I am creating remains as genuine and honest as possible, with relevance to the ‘real’ world we share.

Therefore, the next step in the writing process is to navigate our way to the authenticity of the characters and their stories and to be constantly aware and respectful of the world that is created through the narrative and how it is represented in written form.

Everyone has their own unique story and many experiences they may never be able to explain nor anyone else may ever know of. Everyone has their own way of telling their story to others; from the format, expression, level of openness and emotion as well as many other variables. Everyone has their own perspective and subjective observance of their own life. This is most often different to the objective, actual nature of what happened, why, where, when and how. However a common factor is that of their presence in an event relating to the question of ‘who’ was there.

The question is are there many versions of truth which is unique for each person or simply one universal truth of the way something is?

Leading me to think about philosophy and psychology, I am now going to be doing more research about at the idea of presence, imagination and levels of awareness, which I spoke about in the previous post.

I am intrigued by the art of asking questions and continually seeking to arrive at the most authentic truth of any situation, event or story. Therefore this is simply the beginning of an unpredictable journey as the characters’ stories unfold in the most authentic and truthful way, so they learn to trust themselves and can eventually earn our respect and trust as we share their story with them.

I believe this is the difference between a ‘good’ and a ‘great’ book. I want this to be a ‘great’ book and to do the characters and their unique stories justice as well as the audience.

I am also going to be conducting my own research about some subjects that will require both qualitative and quantitative evidence in order for credibility and inclusion in the novel. More details about this research will be available shortly.

Until then, why not think about how you view a certain object or situation and try and look at it from different perspectives other than your own. It is important to realise that there are always variable factors that contribute to the way someone observes something and to try to be tolerant and respectful of those who see something in a different way to yourself.

While there may be one truth, we all have our own way of making sense of it. That is the difference.

Love one another and thank you again for my time with you. © 2010 Danielle N. Bilski

~ Written by Danielle N. Bilski ~

In life, many people (and I include myself in that group) need to be constantly looking forward to something that they believe will bring them ultimate happiness and fulfilment; something or someone to believe in whether it be religion, love, family, friends, career, holiday, art or something else.

Others need to be constantly stimulated by something or someone and may sometimes forget to stop and simply look around for a while to reflect on where they are, what they have done, what and who they currently have in their life and think seriously about where they want their future to take them in order to make positive, educated choices. It is all about levels of self awareness and awareness of the world and others around them, taking responsibility and control of the things they are able to change.

Some of my favourite moments are in isolated self reflection, savouring experiences of pure joy and finding optimism in myself and those around me to excitedly plan the parts of my future I have influence over. Feedback from others also helps me to understand how I am seen and gives my work a life beyond the words I have crafted on a page.

When I and others acknowledge that I have achieved something, no matter how big or small, I get a profound feeling of purpose which continues to enhance my passion in other areas of my life. When you recognise that life isn’t entirely about what might happen next and that it can be enriched by being grateful for what you have been lucky enough to experience and what you hold most dear to you right now before it is gone, every day becomes much more important and less time is wasted on what has not happened or may never be.

As a writer I am constantly watching, listening, reading, smelling, tasting, touching and feeling with great intrigue, waiting for that next potential idea to ponder and perhaps develop in a meaningful way that an audience will hopefully enjoy and learn something from and learn from myself.

However in the end, we all are mostly remembered for who we are and what we have done, and less so for what we planned on doing in our life.

Last night I found the ultimate twist to include in my novel and to give it the depth I have been craving, in order to give it a more defined shape and even more reason for someone to read it. This realisation was inspired by a movie I was watching called ‘Premonition’ which haunted me so much I was enthralled by the complexity of the writing and the way the narrative was sequenced to make the audience constantly question what was real and what was imagined by the main character.

The twist I have discovered will hopefully give ‘My time with you’ the literary quality I have envisioned from the beginning and may lead to a more extensive story than which was first conceived which I find utterly exciting from both the point of view as a writer and as a reader.

I have also decided on the main themes that I would like the story to encapsulate and not only will I be writing about what I know, I am looking forward to conducting research about subjects that are relevant and that will provide vital elements to the overall credibility of the novel.

So let’s take a look at what has happened during ‘My time with you’ so far:

1. This blog was created to give both you and I a chance to watch the writing process develop and keep me creatively motivated.

2. The major and minor characters were named and each given an age, which is essential to the novel’s development in more ways than simply the obvious.

3. The first twist in the story is conceived which provides great inspiration for the rest of the story to evolve, while the complexities of each character’s life is investigated.

4. The first 1,000 words are written, providing a strong basis of character development and an introduction to the characters who seem to take on a life of their own.

5. Real life events caused me to reflect on the significance of emotions felt and how they can be used in a positive way to continue developing the story in a most realistic way.

6. I began full-time work, but remain passionate about finding the right balance between life and creativity that allows ‘My time with you’ to evolve at a consistent pace.

7. A second and more significant twist is created for ‘My time with you’ and it is beginning to look more and more like project with a life, a heart and more and more time spent with you.

I sincerely thank you for your belief in me and ‘My time with you’ and I hope you will continue to follow this journey with as much enthusiasm throughout 2010 and wherever the future may take us. © 2010 Danielle N. Bilski

~ Written by Danielle N. Bilski ~

They say you are no longer here
Although I still feel you near
One year on
Your spirit remains strong
Gone
But never forgotten.

Today filled with much pain
Remembering all 173 by name
Seemingly disappeared without a trace
Holding a photo of your smiling face
Here
In memoriam beyond time. © 2010 Danielle N. Bilski

~ Written by Danielle N. Bilski ~

I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge all those effected by the devastating events on this day one year ago; in my thoughts and my heart.
Nothing could take away those horrible memories or replace the lives it ended. May there be some comfort in the future and the opportunities it offers.
Love & strength to you all.

Always,
mytimewithyou xx

© 2010 Danielle N. Bilski