"Everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt." 

Conscious Imitation: Elizabeth Barrett Browning

A heart to whom to write this poem? No,
It would not be enough. Hearts will betray
Us in a moment; they defy decay
And then sputter out when they ought to glow.
A mind, for acclaim, would not suffice, so
Dependent upon banter of today.
Its inconsistent wit would fade away
And bored, the mind would change its mind and go.
The soul is satisfactory to use
But only if it would never sanction
The emptying of the heart’s or mind’s pews
Of their precious light and motivation.
The spirit presents an adequate muse
If growth is its only alteration.

“I assumed the burden of the profession, which is to write even when you don’t want to, don’t much like what you are writing, and aren’t writing particularly well.” --Agatha Christie

I think I'm kind of a wimp.

Far Above Rubies

Does buried treasure want to be hard to find?
Or does it wait, shining and lonely
For a stubborn thief to come
80 paces to the left,
wary of the booby traps,
and dig deep
To find the gem whose price is far above rubies?

I think my writing is boring.

I mean, it's fun to write, and I Am A Writer, but I think I try to keep too true to life almost, and it's boring. I shouldn't be afraid of melodrama. I can always take it down a notch, after all.

“The advantage of reading widely as opposed to trying to formulate a series of general rules, is that we learn there are no general rules, only individual examples to help point you in a direction in which you might want to go.” -- Francine Prose

As I've been working on this latest project, I find myself wanting to reread a slew of books, not as an adoring reader, but as a writer, gleaning technical information. "How does the journey work in this one?" "What was that character like?" "How did the climate shape their culture?" "How did their borders develop?"

And so I've been, as the quote says, looking for examples to help point me in the direction I might want to go. There are no general rules -- simply ideas and little outgrowths that work better for one particular story, or not.

Fascinating.

I've discovered something interesting:

Once I am no longer curious about a story, I really have a hard time writing it. Cindy's story still has several gaps in it, but I know what happens in those gaps and it's not really anything terribly exciting either. The obvious answer is to MAKE something exciting in those parts, but...I don't know what!! And besides, I keep adding to the beginning because it's still not quite where it's supposed to be and I am -- surprise surprise -- curious about it.

So, I keep working on the beginning and hoping for brilliant inspiration on the bits in the middle. After all, I've already discovered a few things backing up and writing the story with a different start. Maybe it'll all work out in the end either way.

“Everyone has talent. What is rare is the courage to follow that talent to the dark place where it leads.” "Compose with utter freedom and edit with utter discipline." Erica Jong

"Talking is a hydrant in the yard and writing is a faucet upstairs in the house. Opening the first takes all the pressure off the second." Robert Frost

"Writing is the only thing that, when I do it, I don't feel I should be doing something else." Gloria Steinem

:-)

Hooray.

I started Cindy's story on January 7th. Here it is March 19th, and I have over 14 full typed pages.

Can I just say how proud of myself I am?? And how excited I am about this story?

:-D

Reader / Writer

I have a new theory I'd like to try out.

Next time I "just don't feel like writing," I think I am going to read a couple of chapters of my favorite book and see if that helps me get, you know, swept up in the delight of words.

I'm kind of excited about this.

Slow Growing

"The trees that are slow to grow bear the best fruit." -- Molière

Well, this tree has certainly been slow in growing! It's been ages since I've written anything of significance, and here I am with the debut of a new story. It's Cindy's Christmas present, and I'm excited about it already...I've been doing backstory and outlining for days, trying to figure out the blasted thing, and then, completely unbidden, there was the ending. And then dialogue from the beginning. And then some more! To make a long story short, I have about 1500 words to show today, all written out on paper because I just didn't have time to go for the computer. It was a little like a baby being born on the side of the road -- not what you'd planned, but so what! It felt wonderful.

I think I forget to be patient, and see that life works in cycles. Sometimes, writing works really well for me, and sometimes, it just doesn't. I don't have to do it every single day for hours on end in order to love the stories that spill out. I just have to do what works for me. Granted, I don't always know what that is, but that's OK too. Some things just take time to figure out.

Like this story for instance. Rrrrrrrrrrrr.