2013 International Fake Journal Month Begins TODAY

Left: The button for the 2013 IFJM celebration. (Maybe, more details to come.) Click on the image to view an enlargement.

Welcome to International Fake Journal Month 2013!

Today's the day to jump into your daily fake journaling. If you don't understand what all the fuss and bother is, take a few moments to look at the introductory links at the top of the blog. Read the "Tips" category for selections on how to pick a journal to work in and how to hone your idea for your character and your project into something manageable within the constraints of your life!

Then jump in.

I'll have more to say about my own 2013 fake journal in a few days (at least by the end of the week). This year my journal isn't scan-able (that's a long story and you'll hear about that soon enough) so I'm going to have to take photos and process those, and so it goes. A little more labor intensive than what I like to do for fake journal month, but I think the plan is an interesting one this year.

As to the illustration in this post—that's definitely the illustration on this year's button, or it will be when they arrive. The slogan may change. I had a super chaotic week when prepping the button files and screwed up. I didn't put on my "new-er" slogan (I was going to save this one for next year). When the buttons arrive in the mail I'll let you know what's going on. (I wrote a little about the confusion for this year's button on Roz Wound Up. Basically it was a case of too much stress, not enough sleep!)

In the meantime you can get a button by helping me with the interactive aspect of my 2013 fake journal. You can read about all that at this link.

Eventually you'll be able to order a button—which means you can get a free button, but I have to charge for the postage and package I send them in. I can't tell you what that's going to be yet since the buttons haven't arrived and been weighed for postage. I'll update you as soon as possible.

Update on the Interactive Aspect of My 2013 Fake Journal

For reasons which will be made clear soon enough, my use of the interactive materials I asked you to send me changed slightly as I prepared for this year's celebration.

Because of that everyone who sent me materials as requested in my "Interactive" post, and which I received on or before March 29, 2013 is getting a button. (I'm not trying to be secretive, and since you're all being rewarded I doubt you'll complain.) There wasn't any way around this.

I'm still hoping that others will send in small paper items as requested.

Those of you who sent something in so that it would reach me by that date will get a button mailed out as soon as the buttons arrive (which if I didn't totally mess up means they will go out next week, but if I messed up the buttons then you'll have to wait a bit). I'm telling you this because one particular correspondent sent many packets of scraps hoping to win a daily drawing and get a button. (Dana, you're getting a button, you don't need to send anything else!)

Entries received from April 1 on will be in the regular daily drawing.

You'll see the how and why of all this when you see the first introduction to my 2013 journal.

That leads me to one last bit of "paperwork." Someone in El Paso, Texas sent me a sewing related item.  There was NO RETURN ADDRESS, and NO NOTE inside the envelope. If you are that mystery correspondent and you would like to claim your button please send me your postal address in an email to rozjournalrat@gmail.com. In the email tell me what sewing related thing it was that you sent me (so I know it's really you, because of course I'm going to be inundated with requests for buttons from the residents of El Paso!) I'd love to get a button to you.

Now get busy. And don't forget to let me know a link to where you are posting your fake journal so that I can add it to the 2013 list of participants.

You don't have to post your journal to participate in IFJM 2013. You can do your work privately.

I hope that either way you do participate!