Tag: Writer Wednesday

  • Darla’s Writer Wednesday – Dreams of Writing


    There was a magical time when I’d wake from dreams that left me anxious to write.  That is, arguably, a fairly common story source.  Then, for some reason, the urge dried up despite the constant REM flow.
    I really want that to change.  And if last night’s plethora of images cannot instigate this, then I don’t know what will.  Scenarios were mostly good, many lacking any frustration or embarrassment that often plague my intermittent nightmares.
    There was one in which I could not find a free stall in a crowded bathroom overflowing with wedding party attendants, but I’ll just stop that tell right here.  ~shudder~  I don’t know where my mind comes up with this stuff.
    Alternatively, I dreamed of having been born with too many vertebrae, a virtual tail which my surgeon father removed early.  Other details remain cloudy, but I was proud of this dream dad much like the real father blessing my life.
    (Dad, you can stick with mechanical things and being a great listener.)
    Another dream entailed a fantastical loom.  I have written a post for September 2nd further detailing this brief plot, but the writing fodder is undeniable.  Hopefully, I’ll have a short story ready for Friday.

    It’s time I get started, come to think of it.  Happy writing, all.

    ~

  • Writer Wednesday – Our Artistic Inner Child


    In her multiple books and workshops, Julia Cameron repeatedly affirms that artists must let themselves play.  Her logic?  Our creative selves are much like children.  Her various interpretations make a great deal of sense to me, especially considering how modern Western civilization discourages both artistic endeavor and play in its adults.
    Grown-ups are dissuaded from doing things considered silly or worthless, which is how many people would define play.  The message is that we shouldn’t be goofing off, or doing much of anything society doesn’t find redeeming.  This usually equals monetary gain, though I think anything dubbed as social networking has become acceptable, however mind numbing are some of those Facebook games.
    Personally, I think doodling in a notebook is redeeming.  So is writing a poem or reimagining characters from a book.  Quite literally, play is a form of redemption, its many glorious forms saving sanity and giving this short existence value.  Whether making something with my own two hands or enjoying what others have created, these things improve my perception and very quality of life.
    I’m not saying anything new or profound here.  But today I perused “The Artist’s Way” to read quotes set in the page margins and one in particular stood out.  None other than Pablo Picasso supports these views.
    In his words:
    Every child is an artist.  The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.
    I couldn’t agree more.  Will you join me in some creative fun?  How might you let yourself play this week?

    –

  • Writer Wednesday – Why We Write


    These days I’m enjoying a friend’s gift, a creative writing book called “Rip the Page”.  Geared for the young and young-at-heart, exercises range from the lighthearted (zany word associations) to those darker (like writing about a huge hurt in our lives – powerful mojo there, let me tell you).  Doing them helped me get through Julia Cameron’s prescribed reading deprivation during “The Artist’s Way” workshop.
    Published authors provided encouraging notes, as well.  Young-adult historical writer Karen Cushman inspired this post.  Her final line superbly sums up why we write.
    “The best reason to write is just to find out what happens.”
    That simple truth staggered me.  I think I’ll go write now (right now, in fact), though I don’t see using so much alliteration as in my title.  ~grin~  Happy Wednesday!
    –

  • Writer Wednesday – A Blogger Challenge from A to Z


    On her own ever-interesting blog, A. Catherine Noon recently posted information regarding an April blog challenge.  Throughout the month, participants are to post on every day except Sunday with topics following the alphabet A to Z.
    I like it!  What an interesting way to stoke the imagination.
    Thank you, Ms. Noon, for passing along word of this.  I couldn’t resist copying you by sharing here.
    So far, it has been fun just compiling a list of subjects.  My thesaurus came in handy, though some inspirations are decidedly more personal.  At any rate, I need to consider seven more.
    Then they need to be written, of course.  Guess I’d better get busy.  I hope to create some fun reads.
    You can find A. Catherine Noon’s original post here:

    A to Z Challenge: Do You Haz It?

    I plan to post both on my Darla M. Sands family friendly blog and the sometimes X-rated Sand Castles, depending on the subject matter.  I hope you’ll check us out!

    –

  • Writer Wednesday – Finding Balance


    I just finished reading an interview featuring a very gifted artist.  Amongst his other comments, he underlined the importance of mental and physical balance.  One colleague, upon seeing the man’s most private project, asked how he could possibly be sane and produce such work.
    The answer?  Martial arts.  In this artist’s case, that translated to thirty years practicing Kung Fu and several also instructing.  His peer replied in the manner of “Ah!  Of course.”  They both understood that physical discipline grounded him to the real world.
    While the most remedial martial arts routine would probably put me in agony the next day, walking is an activity most of us can quite easily undertake.  The key lies in making time.
    On a scale I find achievable, Julia Cameron’s “Walking in This World” teachings promote weekly walks.  She advocates thirty minutes or more, and doing it more than once if we feel so motivated.  I find the activity lets me enjoy my surroundings and/or muse over blessings.  When I suffer impotent anger, it helps clear away obsession over little injustices.
    For nearly a month, I’ve reincorporated regular workouts on my ski machine alongside walking.  Feeling a bit more fit, I want to keep the momentum going.  I have never obtained the enviable endorphin high such as I’ve heard marathon runners extol, but my small accomplishments give me a definite mental boost.
    What type of exercise are you getting or might consider undertaking?  I hope you can make the effort and reap the rewards.  Just be safe if you’re walking an icy path or attempting something physically advanced.  Equally important, enjoy yourself.
    –

  • Writer Wednesday – A Genius Viewpoint

    Along with talented friends on an artist’s forum, I am reading Julia Cameron’s book “Walking in This World”.  It follows the same thread as her “Artist’s Way” guide, both aimed at helping people unlock and explore their creative potential.  One continuing theme of Ms. Cameron’s program includes inspirational quotes in the books’ margins.  Proceeding through each weekly chapter I tend to find at least one that stands out.
    Week nine gave me the following:
    “There are only two ways to live your life.  One is as though nothing is a miracle.  The other is as though everything is a miracle.” – Albert Einstein
    This rousing, seemingly unscientific outlook led me to look up the genius on Wikipedia.  There I found something nuclear physicist Robert Oppenheimer said at Mr. Einstein’s memorial.  The following words reinforce the lauded theoretical physicist’s opinion.
    “There was always with him a wonderful purity at once childlike and profoundly stubborn.”
    What better way to describe someone who sees miracles?  Of course this is a visionary approach not only toward scientific achievement, but also artistic.  Julia Cameron encourages both a childlike idealism and a strong (one might say stubborn) work ethic.
    Whether theorizing on relativity or plotting a novel, human beings must see beyond the scope of reality.  Yes, our storyline and characterizations may stay within a real world context.  Our minds, however, are creating fiction.  We are inventors.
    I may be no Einstein, but I’m going to go now and invent something the world has never seen.  Happy writing!
    –

  • Writer Wednesday – Elizabeth Brooks, A Tale of Trust

    With us today for Writer Wednesday is Elizabeth Brooks, author, editor, and avid amigurumist.  (Yes, I had to look up that one too.)  I’m pleased to bring you her guest post for today,

    A Tale of Trust
    Elizabeth Brooks

    Winnie waited as patiently as she could, nervousness roiling her belly. She wondered what the new master would be like — harsh or lenient? She hoped the new master wouldn’t be like the old one. Of course a master must have confidence and a certain ruthlessness, but Winnie’s previous master had been arrogant and unyielding, reluctant to listen to her desires, determined to shape her into a mold of his own devising. He had, at the end, bowed to her safeword, but sulkily. (At least he had bowed to it. Winnie had heard plenty of horror stories about those who didn’t.) But she had needs, knew that she needed a firm hand to keep her from stumbling awkwardly, and so here she was, again, waiting for a master. And hoping.

    ~

    Ellie studied the file before her. The sub was new to her, though the file contents bespoke some prior experience. She hoped this would be a good match. She’d had bad matches before, subs who were so wrapped in their own desires that they couldn’t bring themselves to trust Ellie, even briefly. One had been so rigid that he’d thrown the safeword at her with nearly every stroke, resisting her every attempt to define and shape him. She’d been forced to release him, unpolished, and not been surprised when his flawed glory failed to attract much attention. But each new sub was a fresh start.

    ~

    Each club had its own rules, and though Winnie was happy to comply, she had trouble keeping them all straight, and so the session began with some small corrections, matters of style that had barely hurt at all, just a series of red marks that disappeared quickly and easily. A couple of them had stung, but more from Winnie’s own humiliation than the master’s hand — some rules were near-universal, and she knew better! Then, both of them warmed, the master began with the larger corrections, and those had been more difficult. Winnie had hesitated several times, tasting the safeword on the tip of her tongue, but the master had been patient, gently insisting, “Try it and see.” And more often than not, Winnie had tried, and found that she appreciated the subtle grace that the master had drawn out of her… and the heat. Oh, the heat! The master’s hand had marked her and cut her and then built her up and smoothed her, the burn of those corrective strokes serving only to build Winnie effortlessly to her climax, and then gentling the shudders of her denouement.

    ~

    Ellie drew a slow, satisfied breath. The sub had proven very responsive indeed, bowing to Ellie’s commands, letting Ellie smooth the roughness and close the gaps. Ellie had demanded perfection, and had warmed inwardly at the sub’s earnest efforts. Yet the sub had let strength shine, too, forbidden Ellie to damage that vital core when she had inadvertently pushed too hard. Ellie loved a sub who would push back, when it was important. It made the trust between them blossom. Too soon, it seemed, the climax had come and gone, and the sub lay before Ellie, marked with red but panting in satisfaction, previously-awkward limbs and curves molded into elegant lines. Ellie blew one last, warm kiss, and released the sub to what she was certain would be a clamor to claim that beauty, polished to a shine by Ellie’s own hand.

    ***

    Of course I’m not the first to compare the writer/editor relationship to that of a submissive and dominant. It’s such a satisfying analogy, and it very well encompasses the rules of play, on both sides — the best relationships are marked by respect and clear communication on both sides, as well as a strong willingness to trust the other’s judgment. The Dom/editor needs to trust that the safeword/writer’s veto will be used when the sub/writer is unhappy — but that it won’t be used trivially. And the sub/writer needs to trust that the Dom/editor is working to make them (or their manuscript) into something brighter and truer, and not merely shaping it to their own design and ends.

    All in all, it’s a delicate balance of a relationship, and not without its perils.

    Me? Oh, I’m a switch. My safeword is “Oxford comma”.

    ***

    About Elizabeth

    Masquerading by day as an uptight corporate cog, Elizabeth spends her nights concocting gleefully smutty stories. She writes erotic romances for a wide span of worlds, genres, and orientations, and is also a senior editor for Torquere Press. When she’s not writing or editing, she loves a wide range of generally nerdy hobbies, including reading, photography, tabletop games, geeky yarncraft, and silly smartphone games. You can find her online at http://EveryWorldNeedsLove.blogspot.com or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/EveryWorldNeedsLove.

    Elizabeth’s latest release is Foxfur, available from Torquere Press (www.torquerebooks.com) on November 13:

    Pleasure-slave Cheng takes no particular note of the red-haired woman when she purchases his services. But the morning after her departure, Cheng is taken into custody by the Emperor’s own guards and brought before one of the rare and terrifying Chained Mages. Already frightened and confused, things go from bad to worse for Cheng when the mage reveals the demonic nature of the red-haired woman. Now not only Cheng’s life, but the lives of everyone around him, depend on their finding the fox-demon as soon as possible.

    As a Chained Mage, Jin is at best feared, and at worst, despised. But he can’t allow his personal feelings to interfere with his mission, not even when his admiration for the slave deepens. In fact, Jin’s love may result in a disaster. The fox-demon has placed a spell in Cheng, a spell designed to turn his sexual energy to a murderous ends, endangering himself and everyone around him. And worst of all, they’re not the only hunters on the fox-demon’s trail!

  • Writer Wednesday – A Change in the Air


    Minutes ago I viewed lovely images of spring as captured by talented photography Eaton Bennett.  The delicate blooms are beautiful reminders of nature’s power of regeneration, as she aptly titled the series, and make me look forward to planting my spring flowering bulbs.  For here, in my little corner of the world, autumn takes a turn.

    Morning mists hang over the fields as trees unburden their branches for a welcome winter rest.  Having suffered lean summer months until this bountiful nut harvest, squirrels leap and bound, making drivers beware.  Crisp air beckons me out of the house to savor dazzling skies.
    If I seem to glorify fall, it’s because I adore this time of year.  Each season displays different delights, but October holds a special place in my heart.  Halloween fills me with a sense of whimsy.  Colorful foliage, the smells of bonfires and burning leaves, and birds flocking to migrate all enchant me.  I even look forward to plants going dormant after sweating over garden chores.
    Every year I enjoy these changes.  This month, having finished a small group workshop of Julia Cameron’s “Finding Water”, my inner artist awoke.  I walk the local riverbank, camera ready, enjoying a renewed creative flow.  With no idea what to write and choosing to ignore the resulting butterflies in my stomach, I look forward to November’s National Novel Writing Month.
    One large hurdle to writing fifty thousand new words next month lies in curbing my inherent perfectionism.  I’m notperfect; I simply strive for the impossible.  Already, this short post has taken a ridiculous amount of time while I seek improved grammar and more laconic phrasing.  On that note, I shall upload this little message forthwith.
    Whatever season sculpts your landscape, I hope you can take a deep breath of fresh air and delve into whatever art calls you.  As I hear repeatedly from gentle mentors, take small steps.  Set reasonable goals.  Be easy on yourself.  Mother Nature acts harsh at times but she generally prepares her charges with steady, gradual progress.
    Let me know which is your favorite season, and why.  Does weather affect your creative soul?  After you comment, please enjoy Ms. Bennett’s vision of spring:
    ~

  • Writer Wednesday – Going with the Flow

    I had a post due yesterday for Writer Wednesday and didn’t have the heart due to the anniversary of the 9/11 travesty.  Today, though, I realized that life should move on in honor of those we lost.  And so, here is a little tidbit I’ve postdated.

    Films are a passion of mine.  To my delight, some of the most iconic bits from my favorite flicks were happy accidents due to circumstance or a great ad lib.  In a different example, the crew members in “Alien” reacted with natural horror during that famous dinner incident.  Filmmakers cued only John Hurt in to the details regarding his character’s final scene.  It gives me ever greater appreciation for the process that is movie magic.
    Writing can benefit from such happenstance, as well.  While there is plenty of greatness that comes from scripting and outlines, we artists should never automatically toss out an idea just because it goes against our grand scheme.
    Sometimes we need to go with the flow.  Stumped on where to take the story next?  Follow a plotline on an odd tangent and see how your characters react.  The departure might result in an exciting direction no plan could foresee.
    I hope you free your mind to create something new, wonderful, and unexpected.  Now I need to go follow my own advice.  Happy writing!
    Oh, and if you want to check out some of these great movie moments, here you go.  Enjoy.  You’ll want to expand the video to full screen for the all important captions.  Oh, and there is adult language.  Sorry about that.

  • Writer Wednesday – Special Guest Shelley Munro

    Noony here.  I am so excited today!  One of my writing friends, Shelley Munro, agreed to do a guest post for Writer Wednesday.  I’ve been familiar with her work for years and am so pleased that she stopped by.

    Back in 1998 I started my writing journey with more enthusiasm than skill. I’ve learned a lot during those years and thought I’d share some of my experience with you.

    1. Writing is plain hard work. There are no short cuts. What you need to do is…just do it—sit down and write a little each day until your book is done.

    2. The hardest work starts when you sign your first contract. There’s a huge learning curve at this stage and the promotion side of writing can take up more time than the writing of your book.

    3. Keeping up with the market is essential, especially now with self-publishing vying with traditional publishing. Things change quickly and an author needs to know what’s happening on the business side as well as the type of book that readers are currently seeking. Read new releases and keep your ear to the ground!

    4. Keep learning. Take courses, attend conferences and read books on craft. Stretch yourself with each successive book you write.

    5. Each writer has their own path. Some might hit success straight out of the gate while others might take years before they hit their stride. Don’t measure yourself against other writers because it will just make you crazy. Keep writing and carve your own path.

    6. Celebrate each success big or small along the way. Remember, writing is hard work, so celebrate finishing writing your manuscript, signing a contract and getting a great review. Savor the success!

    7. Rejection isn’t personal. All a rejection means is that your vision doesn’t match an editors or agents. If you believe in your book, don’t give up!

    Shelley Munro lives in New Zealand with her husband and a rambunctious puppy. She never gives up and is currently published with Carina Press, Ellora’s Cave and Samhain Publishing and also has two self-published titles. Her next contemporary release PAST REGRETS is currently available for pre-order at Samhain Publishing. To learn more about Shelley and her books visit her website.