Category — Book writing: in the company of beautiful people

The kitchen window, that’s Demi - the family dog - outside

• slept well last night (wore flannel – much warmer! It is so much colder in this house than my own.)
• made a bodum of coffee
• this morning: created lesson plan for teaching Business Communication at Langara’s Self-Employment program on Thursday
• Matthew took me out for lunch for a belated birthday celebration (thanks Matthew!)

• Started collaging Sarah W’s pages (the red and orange ones on the right, above)
• Collaged opening page
• Sorted through more paper
• Made dinner – burritos
• The L’abri crew came over to watch the college basketball finals – met Julia who is friends with Joyce Rees of Jacob’s Well — awesome connection because I want to interview Joyce! (Julia is amazing as well – a nurse who used to work on the Downtown East Side. Now she and her husband are full-time residents at L’abri in Bowen.)

It has been wonderful not to be on the computer as much in the last couple of weeks. I have been spending most of the weeks on Bowen in an un-‘wired’ house and at home on the weekends connecting with my husband, family and friends.

I am going to try and catch up on posts today. Day Three was my birthday and I just had to come back and see Michael. The next morning…

Day Four

• I woke up and went through the regular routine: got up to make Mike a lunch while he showered, saw him off, brewed a pot of coffee, read.
• But instead of getting to work around 9am I started to clean and sort the house. THIS is why I can’t write the book from home: distraction! I am so blessed to have a place where I can work without things cluttering my mind. I especially love that my office at the Cowper’s has no internet. The rest of the day was spent doing web updates. I don’t think this is the best use of my time so I am only going to update my blog every few days or once a week depending on how things go.

[Weekend @ home:]

• good talks with mom and Michael about the book.
• I am feeling strongly that I need to stay true to the original inspiration I had for the book, which was a response to the statistic that 31% of Canadians are made uneasy by born-again Christians (Macleans, August 2006.)
• I am also going to focus more on the stories than the visuals at this point, and I’m not going to stress about the timing. There’s lots of time for editing but the goal now is to get as much down on paper as possible.
• Participated in a Natural Family Planning teacher training workshop all weekend with Michael
• Went out to dinner at Joey Tomato’s to celebrate my b-day. Michael gave me a gorgeous stained-glass window and earrings. They’re both such beautiful gifts!
• I had a lovely visit with my grandma on Saturday. Her mind is so sharp, it never ceases to amaze me. She gave me a book entitled: For such a time as this, a profile of 26 women of ‘vision and faith’ by Lillian V. Grissen, published by the Christian Reformed Church. She urged me to read this before I write. I began reading it on the ferry home to Bowen on Sunday. God bless grandma.

The Cowper kitchen

(april 3)

• it’s my birthday
• my phone battery died last night so i had to try determine the time this morning by how much light was pouring in my room. turns out is was 8:15. i meant to get up at 7:30. could hear karen shuffling downstairs.
• dressed, went downstairs and made a bodum of coffee - I love bodum coffee!!
• phoned michael. it was so good to hear his voice.

writing/interviews:

• today is less simple than yesterday. yesterday was set-up. today is moving FORWARD.
• i need to send e-mails our for recommendations and to the women to complete interviews remotely. i feel like this may be simpler in terms of people’s answers: giving them time to formulate their answers. the face-to-face interviews have been more messy (of course!) because we go down rabbit trails and no one’s life story is linear… i love interviewing in person but i can’t do it with everyone: canada is kind of big.
• discovered after compiling my lists that i already have 50 women — great news.
• i am strating to figure out pages (profiles can be laid out on one sheet!) and it is SO much fun!
• realized i’m going to have a problem with copyright, re: using mag pictures

___

currently reading: joyce carol oakes’ “The Faith of a Writer” and Brennan Manning’s daily “Reflections for Ragamuffins”

currently listening to: nothing. i am enjoying the silence. craving it, actually.

___

• couldn’t take it. caught the 5:30 ferry home and spent the night with my hubby. :) (was planning on spending the weekend with him at a conference; came back to bowen on monday)

Update coming tonight. Too busy living.

It is my intention, with this series of ‘Book Writing’ posts, to give readers a view into the torturous, lovely, confusing and exhilarating experience of book writing - as I experience it as a first time author.

• Kissed michael goodbye
• left for an early coffee with jenn. she prayed for me. it gave me peace and joy.
• stopped by mom’s house to say goodbye. found an SFU Publishing course booklet at her place — thinking about taking a summer course
• butterflies in my stomach on the ferry over to Bowen
• arrived at Cowper home - helped bring in groceries
• Lunch out on the picnic table with Matthew and Karen — a gorgeous sunny day
• Unpacked
• Set-up my office
• Had a productive day sorting and compiling all of my ‘working documents’ and created an excel list of all the the women to still interview
• Shared a lovely dinner and watched “The Natural” with Robert Redford — such a great film

Reflections: I am grateful for the company here. I don’t think I could do this of there weren’t people around. It is such an immense gift to be here, I am in awe of the beauty of the island. Thanks be to God!

Currently feeling: Excited

Currently reading: “The Faith of a Writer” by Joyce Carol Oakes

Hello friend. I have some exciting news. I am writing a book.

photo: Christina Crook, 2006

I got the idea back in the fall of ‘06. I was sitting in a cafe just off Rideau in Ottawa journaling when it came to me.

Here’s the crux of it: I am profiling 50 young women from across Canada who are living out their faith in dynamic and innovative ways - and telling their stories visually (collage/quotes/polaroids) to a secular audience. Big undertaking. Very exciting.

I began interviewing women last spring and completed another interview on Saturday.

The idea is this: We are all inspired by people. People living their dreams, no matter how big or small. And these people are all around us: beautiful people who are daring to live the life they’ve dreamed of. Moms who make clothes as their babies nap. Painters who have tossed out their commercial brushes to create on canvas. Emmy-award winning journalists who got their start in Tsawwassen. We are in their company. If we only had eyes to see.

So at the start of April I will pack my bags (my paint brushes, magazines, journals and laptop) and move to Bowen Island for a month to write.

Please pray for me as I start. For the inspiration. The connections I need. For the right stories to share…

And most of all I would like to ask you to please send me your recommendations.

Who are the women you know, in Canada, who inspire you? They could be known my thousands or tucked away in a northern hut. Please tell me their stories - I want to know about them! E-mail me at christina.m.crook{at}gmail.com and please spread the word far and wide.

In the next few months I will begin a blog dedicated to these stories… called: “In the Company of Beautiful People.”

You are one of those beautiful and amazing people! Thanks for reading and for sharing. I can’t wait to hear from you.

My mother is accomplished, to say the least. She is another person I’d like to introduce you to.

Not only is she the mother of four, a wife, and a business owner. She is a tireless advocate of the arts, publishes a province-wide guide to the arts, culture and heritage of British Columbia, is an active member of numerous arts and tourism organizations, founded the BC Cultural Crawl and sits on the board of the inimitable Vancouver Club.

Tonight I have the honour of attending the Tourism Industry Awards with my hero: my mom. Her legacy project: the BC Cultural Crawl, has been nominated for Best Tourism Marketing Campaign. (I was able to help write the proposal which won her the nomination.)

So tonight I will sit amongst BC’s arts and cultural leaders, clap wildly as my mom’s speech comes to a close, and join with and the rest of BC as we celebrate my mom.

Current mood: proud