No more fooling around!

“Chickens and fraidy-cats may begin with five minute segments.”

The one thing that I keep hearing and reading from various writers—“You can’t wait for inspiration to strike. You’ve just got to write. Every day.” Or…something like that. The point is—at some point in every writer’s career (it seems like), they all reflect back to the beginning and say that they just had to get over the idea that all of a sudden some BIG IDEA would strike and boom! they’d have their novel. Apparently it just doesn’t work like that.

I will admit, I had a difficult time getting focused on this writing project because, like so many beginning writers, I really just wanted that big idea to strike. I felt stuck waiting for the inspiration. In the mean time I’d started reading books and blogs and stories written by other writers and publishers just trying to feel like I was somehow moving forward. Eventually I had a dream. In that dream I met a man whose face has remained with me ever since. He has evolved into my main character. Before I knew it I was sitting in an Asian American Experiences class, vigorously scribbling the details of this man’s life. He was telling me who he is. He introduced another character to me. And another. And before I knew it I had three characters, and I even felt like I knew how they all related, or how they would all come to relate. But I was still struggling to come up with some sort of beginning to my story.

One night, at a coffee shop with friends, we were relaxing and chatting on some comfortable couches. We were looking at some photos that one friend had taken, sharing stories and frustrations, hopes for the near future and even some failures of the past (lighthearted, funny failures). All of a sudden…I was shouting that I needed a pen and paper. I’m pretty sure every patron was staring at me. One friend couldn’t understand what the commotion was and the other started frantically dumping the contents of her oversized bag onto the couch cushion (You know who you are. Yes, your bag is big!) While I was searching for a scrap of paper she pulled out the outside of a pen that had lost its ink tube, spring, clicky-thingy…everything! How the hell was I supposed to write with that?! And on what surface?!? I recovered quickly and remembered that the coffee shop has…NAPKINS!! And that attached to the book I was reading…A HIGHLIGHTER!! SAVED! I quickly scrawled the thought swimming in my head; I’d now been trying to keep it from being washed down the proverbial drain for at least a minute…and it came out effortlessly! A place, a time, a character…a scene!

So as it turns out, waiting for inspiration to strike did work for me…this time at least. I’ve been able to write the first few pages. I wish I could say that I’ve written more, but I unfortunately don’t have the ability to set aside a certain amount of writing time every day—which is what every writer recommends. At least, I keep telling myself that I don’t have that ability, but I bet I could if I really worked at it.

I meant to write while I was out of town and disconnected from (most) technology for several days. But I ended up just sleeping and basking in the semi-warm southern Utah weather. I’ve also read several writers’ recommendations to hold off on beginning or continuing a piece until you’ve kept it in your head for so long that it’s begging to be put onto paper. But life has gotten so crazy now that I worry about losing that spark of inspiration that started it all. I worry the man’s face will fade from my memory and no amount of written detail can ever make him seem as lifelike again as he was the first time I saw him.

What I do know will keep me going, even through all the struggles and “writer’s block”, is that this piece is something that I very quickly became passionate about. For me, there is no other feeling than feeling my pen flow across the paper as the words fall onto the page so effortlessly (or sometimes with great effort!). There’s no greater reward than knowing I’ve written a golden line, a perfect sentence, a vivid description.

Every writer, every person, has inspirational moments. Moments when the spark ignites or the idea bursts into your mind so clearly you think you must have seen it every day of your life. What inspires you? What motivates you to keep going when the project gets tough? What are you so passionate about that regardless of what happens, you find a way to follow through and complete your project?
For me: Today’s the day! No more fooling around…

(Not Responding)

Windows Internet Explorer (Not Responding). Twice. TWICE!! I had a beautiful, exciting post for you all to read, and the internet killed it.

Considering how late it is, I suppose I'll just make the quick announcement that I wrote something. My story has a beginning. It has ideas about where it wants to go, and the people in the story have names (some of them).

If you are interested in hearing how this happened all of a sudden please say so. Even if nobody says so, I'll write it anyway, simply because it felt good to write out. It was even a bit humorous!

I just had to share the good news with whoever wants to listen. Details to follow at a later date!!

Poetry

I've never read this poem before...I found it while reading another writer's blog. Enjoy!!



Poetry

And it was at that age ... Poetry arrived
in search of me. I don't know, I don't know where
it came from, from winter or a river.
I don't know how or when,
no they were not voices, they were not
words, nor silence,
but from a street I was summoned,
from the branches of night,
abruptly from the others,
among violent fires
or returning alone,
there I was without a face
and it touched me.

I did not know what to say, my mouth
had no way
with names,
my eyes were blind,
and something started in my soul,
fever or forgotten wings,
and I made my own way,
deciphering
that fire,
and I wrote the first faint line,
faint, without substance, pure
nonsense,
pure wisdom
of someone who knows nothing,
and suddenly I saw
the heavens
unfastened
and open,
planets,
palpitating plantations,
shadow perforated,
riddled
with arrows, fire and flowers,
the winding night, the universe.

And I, infinitesimal being,
drunk with the great starry
void,
likeness, image of
mystery,
felt myself a pure part
of the abyss,
I wheeled with the stars,
my heart broke loose on the wind.

-Pablo Neruda

Should I stop something that seems so natural?

Let's suppose that I don't want to write a story in which two characters fall for each other. What if it already feels like they are falling for each other? Do I just let them????? Is the truth of their feelings and actions in the best interest of the story? Or do I try and force them down different, seperate paths?

100 things I love...

This was listed as a sort of brainstorming activity in a book I'm reading (which came highly reccomended by a fellow writer, and actually isn't a bad read!). Let me tell you--while there are definitely more than 100 things I love in life, this writing assignment was difficult!! It's like when somebody asks you to rattle off a list of your five favorite places to visit--on the spot and without warning. So, this is definitely not an exhaustive list, and many things which I love I chose not to put on this list (some things just don't need to be shared on the world wide web :) ).

~100 Things I Love~

1. The smell of rain (especially rain and sagebrush, or rain and the ocean)
2. Lilies
3. Picnics
4. Campfires
5. Dry erase markers
6. The feel and the weight of a book
7. Chocolate labs
8. TV sitcoms
9. Coffee shops
10. Book stores
11. Park benches
12. People-watching
13. Colors (any color, every color)
14. The beach
15. Driftwood tee-pees
16. Hiking
17. Swimmig pools
18. Waterfalls
19. Thunderstorms
20. Cookie dough
21. Indian paintbrush
22. Red rocks
23. Comfy jeans
24. Sexy high heels
25. Fall foliage
26. Fields of wildflowers
27. Sunshine
28. Getting cards for random holidays
29. Trees
30. Finishing a book, especially a good one!
31. Hanging out in the middle of nowhere looking at the stars
32. The first snowfall
33. Giving gifts
34. Freshly washed sheets and towels
35. Sleeping in--shame it's so rare!
36. Music
37. Finding a steal of a deal
38. Sunroofs
39. Big backyards
40. Baseball
41. Photographs
42. Art museums--the ones I've seen anyway
43. Road trips
44. Mix CDs
45. Moonlight
46. Spring
47. Tide pools
48. Finding a perfect seashell
49. Packing for a trip
50. Stuff from the 20's, 30's, or 40's
51. Reading a book in the park
52. Summer
53. Rheb's chocolates--dark chocolate!
54. Long showers
55. Back massages (and head massages and feet massages...pretty much any massage!)
56. Singing at the top of my lungs while driving my car
57. The smell of a used book store
58. Pablo Neruda
59. Tiny notebooks and pens
60. Breezes that make you stop and take a deep breath, and make you smile
61. Hearing laughter--even annyoing laughter
62. Smiles--the bigger the better!
63. When my cat talks to me
64. GOOD Philly Cheesesteaks
65. The sound of rain
66. Whispering Aspens
67. The Haunted House ride at Disneyland
68. The Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland
69. Natural light
70. Watching snow fall
71. Watching snow melt
72. Successfully completing a do-it-yourself project
73. My tiny computer
74. All the people in my life who matter a whole bunch
75. The looks on a student's face when she or he finally "gets it"
76. Belgian waffles
77. When people reccomend books that are actually good
78. Bergers cookies
79. My microwave
80. Cell phones
81. My electric blanket
82. Comfy pillows
83. Teaching
84. Writing
85. Fastforwarding through commercials
86. Pens with blue ink
87. A beach chair and sand between my toes
88. Shopping to blow off steam
89. Driving around aimlessly
90. Lazy days
91. Seeing a movie for the first time--and wanting to see it again!
92. Fall
93. Going to bed early
94. Clothes that are both comfortable and sexy
95. Candles
96. Big puffy white clouds
97. Using the changing seasons as an excuse for an all-new wardrobe
98. Bubble baths
99. Sand dunes
100. A great view

I'd like to challenge you to complete a list of 100 things you love. See how difficult it is, see what things you learn or re-learn about yourself, and see if it inspires you to return to a forgotten favorite hobby or passion!