Each day is filled with work. My work is fun, but there are still decisions to make and a path to stay on. There are meetings to schedule and deadlines to meet. It can be a constant process of thought and movement.
I have stopped for the day. I stopped to look over my idea book and enjoy the summer breeze. The are ideas everywhere and sometimes you cannot find the ones that are in the calm of the day if you don’t stop to look and listen.
My doggie stands guard to protect me from squirrels, my other doggie wanted the cool of the air in the house. I listen to the wind kicking up. I hear cars from a nearby street. I feel sure that the birds are discussing what’s for dinner. My feel are hot in my sneakers that are still on since my morning walk. My daisies look like they are reaching for the sky. The weeds are tall on the north side of my house. My thoughts travel to what to make for dinner. (I resist that thought for now). My daughter turned 35 today! That makes me smile as I remember her entrance into this world and her loud voice!
All of these are but fleeting thoughts. Sometimes a fleeting thought will make into a story, but you must take the time to stop, look and listen.
Now I dive into my idea book!
Filed under:
All Things Artsy,
change,
dream,
Inspiring,
Kicking Around Thoughts,
Work is Play....? 
It’s the last night of Priit Parn screenings at the Spectacle Theater in Williamsburg (124 S. 3rd Street, Brooklyn, NY). Parn is visiting from Estonia and will appear in person at the screenings at 7:30 and 10pm. Seating is limited at the theater (which is actually more a room than a theater), and most screenings so far have been sold out, so get there early if you’re interested.
One of Priit Parn’s classics that didn’t screen in New York this week is Time Out (1984), which you can see below. The short elevates the visual non sequitur into an art form. The film remains fresh nearly thirty years later. A lot of animation today attempts to recreate a similarly surrealistic madcap tone, none as successfully as this film:
"Writing Time Outs"
They Help You Polish Your Picture Book.
( From my "Musings" column on the Purple Crayon )
What is a Writing Time Out?
No, it does not mean dumping your PB (picture book) manuscript on a chair in the corner for fifteen minutes! A writing Time Out means putting aside the PB manuscript you have slaved over: for at least a few weeks. Let it marinate in a drawer, or in a folder on your hard drive marked,
"Time Out."
Forget about it. Clear your brain of all traces of this PB
and begin writing something new.
Does Your Picture Book Need a Time Out?It does, if your fellow critiquers offer conflicting advice. Or you tweak, change, and rework it so many times you lose focus. This is when a Time Out can be especially useful. Yes, doing nothing sometimes works wonders!
Or, when you feel there is something not quite right, but you can't put your finger on the problem. You need to view your PB with fresh eyes. So, give the pesky thing a Time Out. When you reread it, in a month or two, you will be amazed by what jumps out at you.
Your First Reread--Yikes, What Was I Thinking?Problem areas abound. How come you couldn't see them before? You race to the computer, bring up the file, and begin to type. Your husband and kids ask about dinner. You offer a glassy stare while pounding the keys.
What You Found: and how to fix It:The word nice appeared four times on the one page? There were way too many compound sentences. The main character's name was only mentioned once. And the mom seems more important than the kid character. Tighten! Tighten! Tighten!
The Fix: Focus on crafting a great voice for that kid character. Cut back on what Mom says and does. But watch out: you don't want the word count (way less than 1,000) to balloon. Break out your trusty thesaurus. Use it to scrap those overused adjectives and weak verbs. Are four adverbs really necessary, or do most of them prop up weak verbs?
&nbs
The winning Missed Connections story came from Cat Hughes, from Dublin. The painting is above, and here is the original message: (printed in last week's Time Out New York magazine)
You were wearing an average office suit with an admirably messy haircut. I was the girl with brown curly hair and a blouse with horses on it. We did that awkward back-and-forth shuffle of two strangers trying to pass each other on the street; then you grabbed me and gently swirled me in a mini waltz in the middle of the lunchtime shoppers and angry passersby. I would understand that moment if it happened now – two people sharing a delicate second in a day that hadn't gone to plan. But no, when it happened I was in my awkward early-twenties, so I just frowned, trudged away and hoped no one had noticed. Thanks for making my day.
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Nice to read your inspirational posts!
Your photo do the same for me. Those children are so sweet!
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thank you so much for your kind comment.