"Blossoming in Provence Volume Two?"…. Would this photo work for the next story collection? The title could be written across the blue sky… the picture, bordered by a green cover? Your thoughts here, in the comments box.
ribambelle (une ribambelle de…)
1. a swarm, flock of (bees, birds…)
2. a string of (kids…)
3. a row of; stacks of (chairs…)
Audio File: Listen to Jean-Marc Download MP3 or Wav file
Autour de la table et sous le mûrier, il y avait une ribambelle de chaises de differentes tailles et couleurs. Around the table and under the mulberry tree, there was a row of chairs of different sizes and colors.
A DAY IN A FRENCH LIFE… by Kristin Espinasse
Writer's block continues and it isn't a matter of not having a story to tell. There is a pervading dullness that creeps in each time I begin typing. Doubts begin to mount, weighing down what began as determination. Any stick-to-it-iveness… up and splits… and there's nothing left to do but to but to give up or go through.
I've been going through the 2006 story archives after realizing that a few stories were left out of Blossoming in Provence. My plan is to publish a second volume, or companion, to the BIP book… never mind that it might be a better idea to do a collection of vineyard stories (from 2007-8) or even a collection of recent stories (2009-2011), ones that might be more "mature" than the earlier vignettes?
Then again I have been reading your suggestions for a coffee table book of "best photos". I like the idea but do not currently have a good "publishing solution" (read: house publisher!) for this kind of project (the self-publishing software that I am using does not include a good template for a photos-only book).
What with the blocks and the doubts you'd think the universe was sending some kind of big hint… such as: why not go out and play in the garden instead? Or what about a Sunday drive… on Monday? or even a ditch day???
It certainly could be argued that books are made of whys and whatabouts… but they are also made of hours and hours of turnout.
Back to work, now, on two more stories for this current collection. Want to join me? Get out your red pen! Here are the next two chapters:
"Poursuivre": our puppy Braise is pursued by a big bad bistro chair! Click here to proofread this story.
"Toile": Françoise, the art store owner (you may remember reading this rerun, a month or so ago… to begin proofreading, click here.
… and many thanks to those who sent in edits for the story "Tremper"… including the suggestion to leave this one out of the collection. Anyone else think this one should go? Or can we keep this account of an arts-n-craft-challenged maman?
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Between this photo and the one at the top of this letter, which do you prefer for a book-cover image? There are three more photos (at the end of Friday's post) to compare with these. Thanks for letting me know your favorite, here in the comments.
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Beautiful! go for it. Great first impression – my hand wants to go for it right now. The color pulls you in.
I think the lavender one is more in keeping with the Provencal theme .
Re the comments about the blurring , do you have a photo editing programme where you could crop it slightly . I have Picassa or iphotos or PicMonkey, all of which give you this function.
Now I’m off with my red pencil !!
It is fact that all of your followers think as I do in that we all feel joy by reading your posts. Some many offered my comments almost to the letter. Though I am somewhat bias to Lavender and though I clearly recognize the floral beauty of the Provence region as a whole, the flower photo reminds me more of the Cote d’Azur, whereas in my opinion the blossoms of Lavender are more synonymous with the Provence. Whatever you choose we will love. http://chateau-travel.blogspot.com/
I love the two bicycles photo. It’s got the promise of adventure. Good energy.
best,
Gayle Markow
The first photo is nice because it leaves the eye and the imagination some recessed space in which to wander. The second photo is lovely but it stops the viewer short and does not invite her to enter into the scene. Thus, I think the first photo would be a better cover for a book, begging the reader to open it and discover the stories inside.
Bonjour Kristin,
I love all the photos —- I think my fav is the purple — it looks like the south of France!
I love your stories, so take “les vacances” then make it happen. The stories are warm, touching, funny and tres bon.
It is cloudy (but no rain!) on the coast of Oregon.
Stay well!
For the book cover I would choose the lavender
The second photo would be perfect for a card.
No, not loving this photo–it feels claustrophobic–not enough open space to breathe.
Les fleurs bleu!
Kristin:
Of the 2 photos, I prefer the 2nd one with the lovely roses. I know lavender is tres French, but don’t like the fact that the front of the photo is a bit out of focus.
Edie from Savannah
HI Kristen: Your photos are all very beautiful. I would suggest you choose a more personal shot for your cover,
— maybe with you in it — your house, your family, your wonderful dogs, you-name-it. Catches attention. Good luck !
“Creativity is the residue of wasting time.”
Albert Einstein
Googgle Charlie Rose’s 3/22/12 interview with Jonah Lehrer author of Imagine a book about creativity. You may find it very helpful.
Bon Courage!
Valerie
Bonjour Kristin ! Je préfère la seconde. J’aime bcp la LAVANDE mais je crois qu’on voit souvent ce genre de photos…La deuxième me semble plus originale, plus différente.
Bonne journée et bonne écriture.
Cloe
Kristen,
I love your photos and think that you have much stronger images. I would rather see a vertical image. As in your first one it needs sky space for the title.
I have just finished a small square (7″x7″) book using Blurb.com. I thought that the format suited my funky travel story. Decide on your format and you will find the photo.
Barbara
Hi Kristen – Your mom is right! A picture that conveys YOU for this volume would be great, combining the classic & modern sense of your world. (For that reason, I also like the landscape shot that mixes in contemporary color.)
You have a great eye – and your writing struggles inspire as I fight my own writing battle!
Peg in Brooklyn
I love the lavender photo and love the sunflowers too. The lavender photo would be better if the front were in focus more. Either one would be great though. Looks very french! Keep up the good work!
I love the first one. Ironically it is my screen saver, as you have sent it out in the past. Without going to look, I believe the second looks close to a previous book. You have taken many beautiful pictures, I am sure it is hard to chose.
Both lovely, I prefer the tile roof and the roses.
The picture with the lavender would attract more Francophiles, I think. The other one is lovely but looks more like a garden book.
Sue in MD
I still prefer the photo of Châteauneuf-du-Pape from last Friday. It is still the best. Although I like flowers, they are too busy and distracting.
I agree with Jules. You are being hard on yourself. Look at all that you have been through with your surgeries. And you do have two (!) teenagers at home as well as the house, husband, and dogs to care for – not in that order, of course. All of us who write go through what you are going through right now. Relax. Eat a little bit of chocolate. Maybe soak in a tub. The writing flow will return if you don’t force it.
Although both are lovely, and like all your photos, pull at the heartstrings, the second one is a splash of positive feelings, of exhilaration, and wins hands down.
The lavender photo definately says Provence but I agree with so many others that the blur is very distracting.The roses don’t shout Provence, although the building does, and I still cast my vote for the sunflowers.
Je prefere le photo en bas avec les roses, mais je pense que le titre va etre: The Secret Garden. I agree that the foreground is too blurred in the field of lavender. I also think that the empty shack deserves some attention. I prefer a cute shack with green shutters and a few sunflowers around it too; which spells Provence. That picture with the bicycles sounds nice. I always buy cards with that kind of picture.
Both are beautiful photos as are all of your photos. That being said, I think the photo with the roses is a winner. The lavender is gorgeous but so ubiquitous for French photos.
Hi from Cannes, Kristen! I like the Sunflowers but I give the Lavender a slight edge. I disagree that scenes of Sunflowers and Lavender are over-used in representing Provence. Because they really do…represent Provence! For some potential readers, this association will be the reason they even pick up the book.
I’m certain you have many, many Provençal floral pics to choose from. I personally like what some are calling the “blur” of the Lavender, especially reaching across the color wheel for green lettering. A blur is nice..many famous artists’ techniques might be called “blurred.” The book’s cover suggests, invites-it need not tell the whole story.
Bon Courage ma belle!
Bonjour, Kristen!
I like the second photo. It suggests the life inside the building is as ripe and vital as the flowers outside. you can easily imagine bustle and humming and yummy smells….
The photo with the old stone building and the lavender fields is fabulous for your book cover. Best for sure. It made me want to open the book and begin reading…
Big Hugs from South Carolina, USA
Bonnie
Bonjour Kristin,
I enjoyed going back and re-reading your stories! I didn’t see anything to fix but then again, I don’t look for the mistakes I just enjoy the stories!
J’aime la lavande!
Our dear Kristin,
Between your stories and that gorgeous lavendar photo,WOW! How not to have a great day??!!
THANK YOU!!!
Keep up the wonderful works!!!
(HARDLY writer’s block!! NO WAY!!!!!!!)
Love, Natalia XO
Kristin, Let’s just call it a bit of spring fever and allow it to be there. All is well. It is just different. 🙂
Your stories are a delight, Kristin! Re: the cover art,I like the roses or the Chateaunef-de-Pape pix!
Kris-Congratulations on the success of your Book I, and on your first encounter with the mark of a working author – WRITER’S BLOCK!
About your new book cover – The cabanon en lavendre is lovely but the foreground is unacceptably blurred. The second photo I know I’ve seen before. In fact, I painted it – for the roses. Wasn’t that the entrance to your Pediatric Orthodontist’s office? Hey, use that one and you’ll might get a discount on a future set of braces!
I like the comment suggesting a coffee table book of your Provence photos. Many of the photos are really fine and we all love them. I have now used several as inspiration for watercolor paintings and have identified several more with a big “KE” for future reference. Keep up your wonderful work but remember, the thing really “Blossoming in Provence” is you! Warren Plauche’
La lavande, bien sur!
I am so grateful that I once saw L’Abbaye de Senanque surrounded by fields of lavande in bloom. Ca me dit toujours la belle Provence.
I love the vibrant colors of the lavender – perhaps some cropping could reduce the out-of-focus foreground that seems to be objectionable to some. To me it simply focuses attention further into the picture. I do like the other picture today, and the sunflowers are good as well, but neither seems to have the visual impact that the sea of rich purple has – to be seen among many other book covers in a store, I’d go for that effect. The open cabanon doorway invites one to explore. To someone not very familiar with France themselves the lavender is also a good symbol – roses and sunflowers are less evocative of France in particular.
Kristin,
I am all for taking a break! My little fountain in mon petit jardin talks to me amid les fleurs qui fleurissent. I however, ought to be in my studio next door organizing my summer inventory…Always too much to do when the sun shines! I love the “Pink Corners” photo from your earlier post! I think it is quirky and the details interesting for the eye. You might have to do a horizontal format and write the title in the center. Or the sunflowers cropped on each side (just the stone and flowers). Great graphic patterns. I wanted to let you know I sent you three small chapters and their corresponding watercolor sketches from my book in an email, to read if you have the time…Thank you again for your kindness.
Amicalement,
Alison Johnston Lohrey
I like the second photo the best of these two. 🙂
After reading some of the comments I could not help wondering if,après tout, which one you and your family like best…
#1 for me: photo near Jonquieres with about half of lower part of the buildings cropped out
#2: lavender field with the blurred part cropped out.
The bike one is maybe too busy for a book cover. The sunflowers photo makes me want to be there, but doesn’t show any sky. Shoot, they all make me want to be there!
Why not consider looking for a scene to photograph that is meant for the cover instead of making do with one you already have? Maybe the creativity of doing that would get you excited about the project and help get you over your writer’s block. Don’t know whether you’d have time for that, though, or whether the season is good.
De toute facon, bonne chance et bon courage!
The first photo says “Provence’ all over; is not trite, overused, or common. Lavender is beautiful, soothing, and also inspiring. That photo would cause me to pick up the book. Best regards to a wonderful person,Jacqueline
I just discovered that your mother and I agree! Nous sommes d’accord! John, Alexandria
I still like the sunflowers, facing the sun, with that lovely color of green in the leaves.
une ribambelle, quel mot !
Can I use that to describe my nieces in a row, une ribambelle de jolies filles LaBelles ?
I agree with Jules also! Your vineyard, handsome J-M, beautiful children, and precious dogs should be on the cover of your next publication! Please extend mes meilleurs voeux to Gus and lovely Paulette Thursday. I am so very happy that they are in France together!
Elaine Moulden, Anaheim, CA
Kristin- Thought the Friday photos were stronger for the cover. Am slightly disappointed that this is a Volume 2., type of book. How about another theme as accent? Or, as I have been wanting you to do, how about printing a calendar for next year? Then use your best photos for each month- maybe a black/white one, and a color one. (two calendars to choose from) Everyone needs a calendar to use or gift to someone…just what you need, another suggestion!
I have to make this quick because I’m at work, but I prefer the 2nd one, although like other previous posts in reply to which one to pick, neither are favorites of mine for the book cover. I liked the ones from last week better. But what do I know!! You have taken so many fabulous photos, so I’m sure the exact right one will come along and be everyone’s favorite. And I think you are way too hard on yourself – you are extraodinaire!!!!
The photo with the lavenders is great. Get rid of the fuzzy part at the bottom OR run your title along the bottom in white or light blue. It will be more visually arresting than running a title across the blue sky. that is boring and predictable.
I love your stories and your spirit.
Writer’s block is akin to painter’s block. I am a painter and try a different medium when I am out of gas. For you perhaps try writing recipes, how to sew, how to dye your hair at home…anything but the blog stuff. A memory of your childhood in Arizona was it? What the color lavender has meant to you. If you like ice cream – pistachio. And so on
So many comments, anyways, my suggestion is to go with the lavender picture, and instead of a green border, maybe try yellow or orange, to make the sky or the lavender pop out. Then again, I have never had an amazing eye for color, so somebody else may have a better suggestion for the color of the border. and as far as the troumper story goes, I thought it was wonderful and should be included, since it gives a view of how everyday life flows, which is what most of these stories seem to be about.
The best thing you could probably do about your writers block would be to give yourself a break for a while to pray and ask God to give you the guidance you need, after all He is the one that gives us our gifts, and this most certainly is a gift that you are showing to us every week! the time away will let you cool your head from all the stress a deadline gives, just don’t get lazy and leave us without something to read! =D
Kristin–Why not wait until after you have created the book to create, or decide upon, its cover? Once the book is finished, or at least much further along, it will suggest a cover to you. As to your deliberations about what this book will be, I agree with Anne’s suggestion: tell stories about your life in Provence through your dogs. “A Dog in Provence” or “A Dog’s Life in Provence” would be great titles. Best wishes!!
It is 80֯ and gorgeous in Portland (Oregon) today!
I really love the second photo! Gorgeous!
Uh, just read my comment again and realized I meant to say, “Don’t get lazy and quit the blog after taking time off,” not “Don’t get lazy and quit blogging while taking time off…” I love grammar, just can’t put things into words..
What would feed your soul?
Pursuing that would help your writer’s block, I bet. What about going back to the beach at Bandol, covered up like a mummy? Eating more ice cream? Walking another route somewhere?