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By:
Faith Pray,
on 6/27/2016
Blog:
SACRED DIRT
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A small friend is turning 6 in two weeks.
She lives across the country,
and we can't make it to the luau party.
We can't come for cake and balloons and birthday hugs,
but we can send pineapples
and kitties
and fancy toothpicks.
They're like tiny, paper aloha hugs.
So, in shuttling wildebeests to soccer camp lately,
I have discovered a few good surprises
in being the carpool soccer mom.
Books on CD.
Car-goofy kids.
And sketchbook time
while all my soccer players
do their runs and drills.
Big chunks of sketchbook time
help when working out new ideas.
It's funny that I can sketch happy around a crowd,
but I can't write a drop.
My thoughts turn to stone and my stories sink.
But then, that's kind of a theme for me with words anytime lately.
I know some writers who scribble serious magic
in coffee shops and airplanes.
What about you?
When do you do your deep story work?
Can you create masterpieces with everyone there?
Do you thrive with hum and buzz?
Or do you like a hush when you create?
Wherever you find yourself this week,
I wish you peaceful breezes, sweet surprises, and
aloha.
Books {and CD books} we're enjoying this week:
Captain Cat by Inga Moore
Dream Friends by You Byun
Ling and Ting Share a Birthday by Grace Lin
Ling and Ting: Together in All Weather by Grace Lin
A Boy and a Jaguar by Alan Rabinowitz, ill. by Catia Chien
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
Chasing Secrets by Gennifer Choldenko
The Cat Who Came in Off the Roof by Annie M. G. Schmidt
Click the image above for a print-ready PDF or download the "Gift Of Time" gift certificate here.
Looking for a gift for a friend but don't have the cash? Give the gift of TIME.
Depending on your relationship with the recipient, you could offer to do dishes for a week, pick up the kids from school, x number of hours of running, grocery shopping, babysitting and so on. If your friend complains about not having time to read, combine this certificate with a book.
Some suggestions for presenting the gift:
- Slip the certificate into a white envelope and then decorate the envelope with holiday stickers, sparkles, doodles, etc.
- Roll up the certificate and tie a color ribbon around it. Present it as is, or wrapped in gold tissue paper.
- Combine the certificate with themed gift, like with some packaged soothing chamomile or mint tea, chocolates in a mug, or other "it's time to spoil yourself" items.
- Combine the certificate with one of your favorite books.
Enjoy!
For more free, print-ready goodies, see Debbie's Print-Ready Archives.
One of the disadvantages of being a full time writer (apart from the details of never knowing whether or not you’ll have an income this year) is that it’s easy to slip into the trap of simply jumping into the story each day, whatever draft it’s in, and letting it meander where it will without taking the time to reflect on it in between. I used to mull over the story on the drive to work, and actually make notes on my thoughts in my work diary during long staff meetings. (I know, bad work ethic, but I worked in a separate clinic and I did pay attention to the rare items that were relevant to me. So that’s not what we’re discussing here!) On my precious writing days I knew exactly what I wanted to do and could barely stop for lunch, let alone procrastination.
But last week I had to fly to Canada unexpectedly for family reasons. By the end of 28 hours travelling my brain isn’t good for much, but it’s a shame not to work in those early hours when you can think. I can fiddle around with a typescript nearly anywhere, café or waiting room, but I’d just tidied up the first 10,000 words enough to send to my editor, so there was no point in editing them any further right now. And I’m more of a princess about first drafts; I need peace, physical and mental, to enter into the story’s own world, discover what happens next and find the words to describe it.
So I returned to my staff meeting days. I held the story in my head, the bit that I’ve done and the parts that come next, and wrote several pages of notes on them. Several things were suddenly obvious: missed opportunities, missed symbols, strained logic. I wrote out both sides of an argument about one question until the solution was clear; made notes of facts to check when I had the chance.
Now, although the priority of these few weeks is family time, when I have a spare hour to write I can focus on exactly what I want to accomplish. The notes have given me achievable tasks rather than having to fight through the murk to find the story’s next step. I’m definitely going to be scheduling some regular note-taking time when I’m home again (ie in a more organized way than the mulling over ideas on the daily dog walk, where I so often get sidetracked by sights, sounds and friends!) But now, I’m just about to leave for my sister’s home and Thanksgiving dinner - and yes, that's something to be thankful for!
Here's a gift idea that every writer can appreciate: TIME TO WRITE.
What to write under "Details":
Depending on your relationship with the recipient, you could offer to do dishes for a week, pick up the kids from school, # hours of running errands, grocery shopping and so on.
Just download the high-res version (1.3 MB), print it, cut out the certificate using the guidelines, fill in the information.
Ideas for presenting the gift:
- Slip the certificate into a white envelope & then decorate the envelope with Christmas stickers, sparkles, etc.
- Roll up the certificate and tie a colorful ribbon around it. Present it as is, or wrapped in gold tissue paper.
Enjoy!
How do you fuel your creative kindling?
With dragons, of course!
Janet Lee Carey, author of Dragonswood
is working shop with thirsty writers this Sunday, September 15
at the Poulsbo library.
I'm going!
How's that to fuel my story sparks?
I've gushed over Dragonswood and Dragon's Keep
before.
They are among my top fantasy novels.
Janet writes compelling, wholly satisfying tales
so skillfully woven that I want to re-read them
as soon as I finish.
Northwest writers: if you're in the area, come join me
at this
Field's End event!
Who doesn't need such a creative boost?
After a whirlwind of crazed schoolishness,
I know I do!
Last night was writing night.
I finally sat alone with my manuscript, pen in hand,
distractions tucked away,
ready to blow through with a masterful fury.
But instead of mastery,
I just sat staring into the trees,
letting the wind rush past me
and all my pieces.
No story mastery.
But the space, the air!
The silence!
It was exactly what I needed.
To get me right first.
Do you ever de-fuzz?
It's the kind of work that doesn't count on your timecard,
but still matters!
Apart from our writing, our desires,
our hankerings to be published,
our accomplishments, our parenting,
our quirks and our failings,
we are all the same.
We are all people who need Love and Shelter
and Bread and Breath.
If you are ever busy, frantic, worried, overloaded,
or just stuck in your story,
try taking it down a notch.
Find a quiet place and de-fuzz.
Do something that doesn't "count" on your timecard.
Twirl. Stomp. Laugh.
Take off your socks and shoes. Wiggle your toes.
Paint with water.
Stretch out on the grass.
Watch clouds. Watch stars. Watch people.
Start a sketch notebook, a Favorite Words List, a Myths List,
a Sayings List, a Thankfulness List.
Breathe.
Play with dragons!
Treasure awaits.
A few fiery tales:
The Deliverers of Their Country - E. Nesbit, Lisbeth Zwerger
The Knight and the Dragon - Tomie dePaola
The Reluctant Dragon - Kenneth Grahame, Inga Moore
Saint George and the Dragon - Margaret Hodges, Trina Schart Hyman
My Father's Dragon - Ruth Stiles Gannet
Talking To Dragons - Patricia Wrede (ill. Trina Schart Hyman)
Dealing With Dragons - Patricia Wrede (ill. Trina Schart Hyman)
By:
Faith Pray,
on 11/23/2011
Blog:
SACRED DIRT
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sometimes whirlwinds blow in
intrude on those carefully crafted goals
send sacred mud
in spades
and shovels
do i sigh and grumble over my lost tasks?
truthfully? too often.
but when i'm paying attention,
i stop and look at my happy wildebeests,
soak them up with my eyes
douse them with kisses
and then we go play in leaves
gather up our thankfulness by the armful
press them flat in big books
So… How do you balance writing, deadlines, family, and all the other demands on a writer’s life? With NaNoWriMo just around the corner, this is something a lot of writers are panicking about right now so it seemed a good time to discuss ways to rearrange things for November! Join us tonight, Thursday October 28th, [...]
No related posts.
For the last while my life and my diary have been crammed with things I promised to do; some chores and also some delightful events or opportunities that have had to take priority over sitting down to write. Some of these are events or related writing tasks, in relation to books already written (three of which have been launched this summer alone), others are family or other commitments.
Thankfully they have almost all been very positive and often wonderful reasons for not writing, but this means that for a while any creative writing has been in short bursts or moments when I can both steal the time and have enough energy to write.
These stolen moments mean that I have approached the writing of a my latest book in a different way than usual.
I have already plotted out the basic outline of the story - so I know where it is going - and have done some elementary research, but I have found myself dipping into it and writing whatever part of the story I feel like exploring in no organised fashion at all, whenever I have a few moments free. This way it is not progressing from start to finish but almost in the way films are shot, short scenes in no specific plot order and in my case these are almost completely at random.
Time will tell if this is a good way to write it, but for the moment it has freed me up a lot because if I manage to write a couple of pages and get to a bit I am not quite sure how I want to handle or need to research more or even where I don’t quite know what happens next; instead of stopping to work it out or research it, I go as far as I have time for and stop.
The next time I sit down I may be writing the end of the story or adding to the beginning or just somewhere in the middle, whatever bit I am feeling most fascinated by at that time. It also means that I am really enjoying it.
Of course I can’t do this all the time because at some point I will need to pull it all together and see where the bits mesh together or not as may happen but then I will be able to change things and possibly re write pieces but I hope by then I will have most of the book written in the first draft at least.
The butterfly part of my brain loves to work like this but will it work? I will keep you posted …watch this space!
12 Comments on What To Do With Windfalls, last added: 11/27/2011.jpg?picon=1806)
How I wish I were in your neighborhood. I'd be there with you and Janet Carey to soak up her take on magic and writing. What is a dragon but pure magic? I found a drawing of a dragon skeleton online. Made my day.
Aw, Tricia, I wish you were coming with me, too! What fun we'd have plunging our fairy tale roots into good working dirt! Happy dragon skeletons to you...
I'm so glad you enjoyed the workshop! It sounds like it was wonderful! Isn't Field's End a great organization? And ooh, de-fuzzing! Great way to say it!
I hope you're having a great week, Faith!
PS - I just noticed I wrote "great" three times. My tired brain needs more than de-fuzzing...off to bed!
My goodness does this post make me smile. So much truth here! And reminders to twirl and stomp are some of the best kinds of reminders... Thank you!