Tag Archives: creative writing
Writing Will Commence
I started day one of a two-day writer’s workshop today, entitled Discovering Our Muse. What a treat! I got to spend the entire day at UCLA, with 12 other devoted writers and a wonderful teacher to guide us through writing exercises designed to get the creative juices flowing. If I had any doubts about the timing of starting a writing program, today confirmed that now is the time. Today I felt like me and I felt connected to the DNA that apparently established this deep desire to write. I am still not quite sure about my eventual writing genre, but the desire to write is so overpowering that I am sure this is my path. Today I discovered that I am more fearful of not writing, than I am about making the commitment to write. Here is my answer to the writing prompt: “Sometimes I’m afraid of becoming someone…”
Filed under creative writing
To Infinity and Beyond
Yosemite is not exactly “to infinity” but there is a world of difference between daily life at home, and daily life in Yosemite. Camping is definitely the way to appreciate the finer things in life, like the smell of pine, the chirping of birds the smell of a campfire and the hum of mosquitoes. I was attacked by mosquitoes the first night we arrived and sported welts for the remainder of the trip, even after dousing unhealthy amounts of organic, environmentally friendly plant-based mosquitos repellant on every square inch of my body. I tried wipes, spray and lotion but the mosquitoes loved them all equally.
I have to learn to get into the zen of mosquitoes (the little blood-suckers) but since I have not mastered that yet, the respite in the wilderness did not provide a sense of serenity for me. I enjoyed the hikes and the amazing, huge waterfalls and the special family time, but I think that the next time I go camping, it will be during a cooler time, before mosquitoes hatch.
Returning to civilization was amplified by my attendance at a 4-day long course teaching the integration of the arts (music, dance, drama and visual arts) into language arts and math instruction. This was a great class and I came away with many creative ideas which I plan to use this year, but residing for 6 hours a day in the middle of the hot valley (110 degrees) in a run-down middle school, is a far cry from Yosemite, which brings me to the title of today’s post. How can I get beyond? Beyond living day to day, paycheck to paycheck, beyond the normalcy of my life? I have to take the leap! It is not enough to just desire to write, I have to live the life of a writer. I have found my first writing class and it is time to sign up. The infinity is my creativity and imagination and I am prepared to open the tap and let it flow.
Filed under Family, Life thoughts, writing
Choose
We all come to a certain point in our lives where we have to make a choice that will alter our life as we know it. The choice can be subconscious, deliberate, spontaneous or well thought out but we all face a time when we are forced to decide. I am at this intersection now.
I am happy and comfortable in my teaching job, working with five-year-old children, inspiring them, comforting them and confronting each day with the wonder of these children, awaiting the next discovery, surprise, or a book that is destined to become their favorite. Teaching is a wonderful career, but lately, a new seed of an idea has sprouted in my mind. It is the writing calling me to the keyboard, to the world of pages. I choose to write. I choose to take action to propel myself forward into the world of author and book.
My choice opens my eyes to author events, book signings, new books, magazines, and the literary circle that welcomes me with open arms. I choose to take this path and will discover where it takes me.
Filed under choice, Life thoughts
Commiting To Happiness
I made this butterfly cake to celebrate Hope's wonderful journey described in her book The Possibility of Everything.
Last night I spent the evening surrounded by some of my favorite women in the comfortable, serene atmosphere of my friend Sue’s home. We had delicious potluck (somehow with this group there is always the right combination of food) and conversation followed by a great talk and description of her journey by Hope Edelman. Her book: The Possibility of Everything is a fascinating story of trust, alternative viewpoints and hope. Hope writes in a most compelling way, and I felt involved in her story on many levels. First of all, as a mother, I felt compassion for her struggles with her daughter and her commitment to help her daughter come out on the other side. Secondly, I related to her role as a mother/wife/writer who has temporarily lost her sense of self. Thirdly, her struggles with her relationship felt all too familiar, balancing time and the energy it takes to support modern lifestyles. Hope inspired me to write more and to find out what my story will be.
Gretchen Rubin and Me at Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena
Monday night I had another literary adventure attending the book signing of Gretchen Rubin of The Happiness Project at Vroman’s Bookstore in Pasadena. First of all, as my friend Danielle and I entered the store, audible gasps could be heard from us as we took in the amazing variety of wonderful things, books, cards, gifts and more books. And, it’s two stories of wonderfulness! We made our way upstairs in the elevator and enjoyed listening to Gretchen describe her realization of her need to create more happiness in her life. Reading both her blog and her book has motivated me to appreciate more, create what I need and to focus on happiness. We waited for the line to go down and got her signature in our books. I even managed to have her write a note to my sister-who was unable to attend. Spreading the happiness.
As we were leaving, we noticed that Friday night, Elizabeth Gilbert of Eat, Pray, Love fame will be talking about and signing her new book, Commitment. We got two books and two tickets and are looking forward to another night of book talk.
I want to be surrounded and embraced by books, words, new thoughts, random punctuation, other worlds and unforseen experiences. And through some serendipity, I am. My next task is to visualize myself as the writer, the creator and eventually the person giving the book talk. Everything is possible with a commitment to happiness.
Filed under creative writing, Life thoughts, reading
Literary Magnetisism
I suddenly realize that the reason I cannot get things done is because I am a literary magnet. I am heading towards the end of my three-week winter break and I am looking around at a house with tables covered with papers, remnants of the past holiday in the form of scented pine cones in baskets, a credenza that refuses to show its surface and various environmentally friendly bags hanging randomly on knobs of all sorts. The conclusion I have come to is that the reason I am not successfully cleaning my house, organizing my papers and clearing surfaces is because I cannot stop reading.
I am hopelessly addicted to books, beautifully and artistically stacked on my side table, my desk, my night table and the credenza, and am reading 3 concurrently, but it does not end there because I have a mirad of magazine articles I have saved to read and my latest addiction: Blogs. It is such a treat to read the musings of so many wonderful writers, like small appetizers that fill up my time while I await my main course of one of the books tempting me. I am hopeless and cannot stop! I am staying up way too late and have had to buy a small reading light to allow my husband to sleep while I read into the wee hours. Sadly, some people have to get up and go to work.
I am beginning to panic at the thought of going back to work next week as I have totally adapted to life in the pages. Luckily the reading inspires writing so I am not falling too far behind in that area, but I worry about the panic I am likely to feel Sunday night as I realize I didn’t carry out the household tasks I listed at the beginning of the break. Life is short though, and time well-spent reading is my dessert.
Filed under creative writing, Life thoughts, reading, writing
Collaging The New Year
Simple New Year’s traditions are habitual for me. I relish creating goals, lists and most recently, collages-visual representations of my hopes for the new year ahead. I drag my family into this activity, but secretly I think they love the creative, artistic escape of sitting around the big kitchen table with piles of magazines torn apart in the search for the perfect picture or word. This mellow time of sharing, hunting together and putting our hopes and dreams for the future out on the table, stuck to small boards with white glue, is one of the few rare times we all sit engaged in a common activity that doesn’t require electricity. I often yearn for a technology-free day of time spent sharing an activity that requires personal interaction and the time we spend creating our New Year’s collages is a close as I get.
Before I can create my collage I have to consider what I want to visualize for the new year and that can be inspired by magazine images or ideas I’ve had floating around for a while. Setting goals is organized ambition and my inspiration after reading my daughter’s blog is to think of three goals and bring them to life with visual images that will inspire me during the year. I usually put my collage in a prominent place where I see it first thing in the morning and remind myself to be cognizant of my actions. So here goes, this year’s goals are:
1. To Write-I want to write blogs, journals, poems, stories, comments, and articles. I want to improve and grow as a writer. I will read, a lot, to be inspired, to learn, to be entertained, to relax and to escape. I think that reading and writing go hand in hand and surrounding myself in the literary world will help me create a place for myself in that world. It also is much nicer than watching mindless TV, although at times, mindless TV comes in handy too.
2. To Walk-I want to keep my commitment to walk an hour each day both as a great health goal, and as training for the Avon Breast Cancer Walk I will be participating in next September. Walking provides time to think, to listen to music or motivating walking CDs, or to watch a little of that mindless TV if I am on the treadmill at the gym. Walking connects me to the world, my neighborhood or places of nature and I feel better after walking thanks to increased endorphins.
3. To Move Forward-I am ready, more than ready, to move forward and away from 2008-2009 and towards a decade of increased awareness, a plan leading to goals, a life that is more in line with what is important to me: family, friends, health, and personal creativity. I am ready to accept help in getting started on my yellow brick road from any good fairy willing to help, and I do know that I have the power within me to make the changes, and start the walk down that road leading to my own version of Oz.
This was the quote from Creative Catalyst today:
“The masters at the art of living make little distinction between their work and their play, their labor and their leisure, their minds and their bodies, their information, their recreation,their love and their religion. They hardly know which is which. They simply pursue their vision of excellence at whatever they do – leaving others to decide whether they are working or playing.”
~James Michener
With that in mind, here’s to a year of playing! Happy 2010!
Filed under Art, creative writing, Life thoughts, New Year's, Walking
Selective Happiness
I have been thinking a lot about happiness lately and plan on doing my own Happiness Project starting on January 1st. I have come to a few realizations about happiness. H.A.L.T. is an acronym used by those fighting addiction to remind them to take care of their physical and emotional needs before seeking outside remedies. They are told to ask, “Am I hungry, angry, lonely or tired?” because these are causes for seeking a cure for the negative feeling which is often detrimental to recovery. I think this acronym is useful for those of us seeking a life with more happiness developed by the creation of habits and a life designed to support what we want and need to feel happiness. Happiness is a feeling individual and specific to each of us, and must be cultivated. Often in the retrospective age of 50+ we begin to reflect on life’s real importance, but I believe that bits of this insight can be achieved by those young adults willing to slow down and unplug long enough to allow themselves to get to know themselves and their feelings and desires. Doing so could possibly provide a more satisfying life and certainly could lead to more happiness.
Happiness is not dependent on food, although it is easier to be happy when you are not hungry. The amount, or category of food is not the key to happiness, though I have read research related to chocolate having certain qualities that release the “happiness” hormone serotonin. Eating with friends and family is the experience that creates the feeling of happiness through the sharing of conversation, appreciating the food and slowing down to enjoy quality time with those we love. Eating alone can also bring happiness allowing for a calm respite during a chaotic day, the appreciation of the qualities of the food (taste, texture, color) and time to rest from external conversation.
Happiness is not dependent on the external actions of others, it is the way we process and handle the actions, that allow us to maintain our feelings of happiness, and to avoid being sucked into feelings of anger. It is possible to be disappointed, sad and angry and then to transform the energy of those feelings, through determination, and use the energy to fuel happiness. We have to make choices in our lives and if we are harboring people in our lives that continually provide us with actions that disappoint, it is up to us to release these people from our lives, or to accept them with these qualities known. Ultimately though, it is our choice to be happy.
Happiness is not dependent on external forces, in other words, it’s not the “stuff” that creates happiness, although the process of acquiring “stuff” might be a fun and happy experience, i.e. shopping. It is more likely the combination of spending time surrounded by people, either friends, or those also spending some happy time at the mall. How often have I arrived at home with my purchases and had buyer’s remorse, second thoughts and then returned the items? Malls were created to provide the sense of community that has been lost in the expansion of our society and the isolation we often feel in our busy lives and the mall is the new town center complete with options for all of the senses. The experience of shopping, or even just going to the mall, is the instigator for happiness, not the actual purchase.
Happiness is not dependent on relaxation and pampering ourselves because it is an internal feeling. I think a day at the spa is wonderful and one of my favorite experiences of relaxation and pampering, but it does not equate with long-term happiness. It is a temporary, “feel good” happiness. Short-term happiness derived from haircuts, manicures and massages are valuable and there is a lot of research about the value of touch therapy. I have utilized it myself during particularly trying times and still indulge occasionally, but happiness is not dependent on it. Happiness is dependent on the body’s physical state to a certain extent and that is why it is important to be physically rested. When we operate on sleep-depravation, it is challenging to be upbeat and happy. We are most likely craving the ability to just lie down and go to sleep.
The acronym H.A.L.T., though originated for those fighting addiction, can be useful for those of us seeking happiness as well, for while we can fairly easily point out what happiness is not dependent on, and how to avoid the pitfalls of false happiness, in doing so, the mystery to happiness is revealed. Happiness is self-dependent and within and the key to it is held by each of us, the choice to use it is ours. Unlocking our own happiness is a life choice that can lead to the creation of more happiness and the realization of what we want in our lives.
Filed under Life thoughts
My Green Couch
Simple pleasures are always encouraged and we are told to focus on the things that really matter in life, not “stuff,” but people and time well spent. There is, however, one “thing” I truly love and it represents some of the best time I spend. It is my green couch. I know it is not new and is tattered as a result of my dog sneaking up there to sleep in comfort when no one is home, and lately, even when we are home, the rascal!
The couch represents relaxation, time to myself and my favorite thing to do is to curl up under the plaid blanket with a good book and time. I can get up early, before the family awakes, and sneak on the green couch, get settled under the blanket and luxuriate in the escape of a story, someone else’s adventure, problems or revelations.
As I gaze up occasionally, looking out at the trees swaying softly, the prayer flags we made last New Year’s blowing our wishes into the breeze, I sigh and sink further into the soft couch pillows, pull the blanket up to my chin and return to reading. These are the times I treasure, when I can regenerate and rest my mind, the thinking turned in another direction and my life on temporary hold while I explore other possibilities.
Filed under creative writing, reading
Learn From The Masters
Learning to write is a process consisting of finding your own voice, developing a style and exploring writing topics and as an avid reader of many genres, I have acquired a taste for many writing styles and many authors. There are times when I become hooked on a particular author and must devour as many books as possible and there are times when I am in the mood for a particular type of book; historical fiction is usually high on my list.
The suggestion of reading a strong piece of literature before writing a grant proposal for a non-profit was especially appealing to me as I am now involved with the Arts to Bridge program and we are seeking funding. There are also often projects at school that are in need of funding. The idea of descriptive writing that allows the funders to visualize their hero role in becoming involved in our projects is inspired.
One of the masters I crave learning from is my mother. She was an amazing creative writing teacher and her lesson plans lie waiting in boxes for me to uncover the secrets of her ability to inspire restless teenagers to find a voice for their feelings and the ability to describe the uncomfortable and desperate struggle for individuality in an age that requires conformity. I may not be able to replicate her lessons, especially since I teacher kindergarten, and there are obvious differences in age and potential subject matter, but reading the ideas will build on the web of my ideas and I know I will be able to pull some meaning from my mother’s creativity to use as a catalyst for my own.
The boxes await, the lessons patiently resting in their file folders, for me to open them, breathe in the wisdom and insight my mother used to become the driving force, the memory and the wonderful teacher that so many remember and credit for their own motivation and inspiration.
Filed under creative writing
BetweenTheWords 