Making Room for Writing

Writing doesn't happen without conscious thought. It doesn't happen without some planning, of some kind. It needs a time and place. And each writer has to find for her- or himself what that time and place is; if it is structured and regular such as a daily practice or random as when an idea strikes or the words flow.

And the reality is that it's a continuum and all of us fall somewhere along it.

We can look at our lives and think about:
- where am I writing?
- what time of day do I write most?
- what time of day do I write most productively?
- how do I write? in short bursts? do I need warm-up time followed by a focused stretch?
- does it depend on what I am writing?
- what do I like writing?
- what helps me write? what hinders me?

And what works? Do it more. What is causing stress or writing blocks? Do it less.

Sounds simple - but it isn't. And I suspect it's not always the same.

Today I had a unique situation, where I had to be in a somewhat confined space for a period of time. And I had to always be at the ready, yet a lot of time was spent waiting. Or could have been. But today I used that time to write and when I hit a wall I told myself to just go and see what came on out the page.

Yes, actual pen and paper.

And I wrote a lot. I completed one chapter, wrote two more, and started a fourth chapter of my memoir. The missing chapters have now been whittled down by four.

I'm nearing The End.

All because I was semi-locked in a room-like space for a number of hours, with minimal contact with the outside world (no computer, no true private phone time, no ability to just wander out and run and errand or get involved in something else). Confined with a deadline and I did it.
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Razor's Edge : July 29, 2011

This week's prompt set is made up of three pictures with music to accompany them. I'm not going to tell you where the pictures are from - it is up to you to create with the pictures and let your story or your characters guide you to a location.

Look at the three pictures.

Allow your character to emerge - don't dwell on it too long. Go with who first appears.

Start the music video. It's "Trois Gymnopédies" written by Erik Satie.

Write for the duration of the music - plus up to 2 minutes if you need them. The music video is just over 9 minutes in length.

 

Trois Gymnopédies

Running Shoes and Writing

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As those of you who have followed my writing over the past 2 1/2 years know, I spent some time training for a half marathon, 5k and 10ks and the Cascade Lakes Relay (CLR). Hours on the road and in the gym - miles and miles in shoes.

Looking for the perfect ... no, I take that back ... looking for a good shoe for walking distances and speed. Remember "speed" is relative; I'm not a fast walker and never will be a really fast walker and I accept that. My best time was a 14.5 minute/mile; my average was 15.5 - 16. Which was good for me; trained down from a 21 minute/mile. At the CLR I did two or three legs, generally the late night legs plus the one 6.6 miles downhill on the highway in the middle of the day in the high desert leg. I needed good shoes.

I won't bore you with all of my trial and error with shoes - except to say there has been some. Some worked for a little while - then they didn't (Brooks) - actually causing more problems than they were helping, especially when the new version came our ("only the color was changed" - uh, no). So I went to an official sports running/walking store and was diagnosed and fitted. Went through three brands and four styles until found something that worked (New Balance, Saucony, other Brooks). For a while. Then it didn't. That store couldn't help me, didn't have my size in any that didn't hurt my feet.... and so on. Went to another store with newer, better, more fitting and diagnostic tools - and went through all of that. Found some shoes that worked really well - through 5k and 10k and training and the actual half marathon (Asics). Then more problems, time to switch shoes because that style started hurting more than helping (several styles of Asics).

Did I say I'd be short with the shoe journey? Sorry. Many shoes. Lots of money. Many miles. Changes in my feet, yes. And as some of you know what I've recently returned to is: the minimal shoe, even trying out a pair of Vibrams FiveFingers "barefoot" shoes.

But, Dot, what about the writing? How does this relate? I can hear some people saying. And here we go.

Just like the running shoes - many people have opinions on the best way, the most effective way, the fastest way - the right or wrong way - to write. To publish. To submit. To query. The whats and whys and hows - many views for doing the thing we do.

Like with the shoes, I think, find what fits.

Last year I went to the Willamette Writers Conference here in Portland, Oregon. Unfortunately I won't be able to go this year (it's next weekend) because I will be working; not that I'm complaining about having work - but I do have to miss the conference.

So - last year there were two editor-authors I went to in back to back sessions. They were both talking about some dos and don'ts of writing and editing and how to get published.

Guess what! Some of the expert advice they gave was in direct opposition to the other. They are both very successful and very well known and I respect and admire and like them both. And they were each telling their audience to do something exactly unlike what the other said.

I am not saying there aren't any rules in writing and getting published. I'm sure there are. But there is so much more to it than any one formula can do. There is very successful formulaic writing, I know - and if you have a formula which works for you - use it, yes, go! But I also don't think most people can just pick up another person's prescription for successful writing and have it go exactly the same way.

There are many readers and editors and publishers. You need to first find your writer voice. And then find the writer-editor-publishing people which fit your voice and can help you achieve your goals - and then go with your heart and your gut and the advice of those whom you trust.

Writing advice - like good shoes - must be tried for a good fit. And rechecked when something changes. With good shoes and a solid writing foundation, you can complete that marathon or novel or poetry chapbook. Patience and perseverence and listening to your own inner wisdom.

Keep on walking. Keep on writing.
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Searching for the Rug

Just a brief thought for today.

I'm in a holding pattern for a program I applied to in early June. The deadline is the end of July; it originally said the end of June. No worries; my application was in.

So I'm still waiting.

And booking work now into October. With the "what if" I get into the program thoughts, along with the other activities that begin ramping up in the fall.

"What if..." : I get into the program, which has non-specific days and times at this point, so I have to leave open both possible times on both possible days. "What if..." : I don't get into the program and I don't sign up for Ariel's next writing session - then I'm without either writing group and will flail, I know.

So, what to do?

Schedule "as if" ...

Which means that right now I feel like a dog in front of the fireplace, circling round and waiting to land. Except that someone keeps moving the rug.

...circling...

And On The Third Day She Wrote

That's what I woke up thinking yesterday.

It was my third day in a row off from work. "I know," I want to tell you. "Yes, I did say that not too long ago. Yes, I know! Isn't it fabulous? Again, yes." And I'd smile and you'd say congratulations and we'd both smile.

Then what?

Oh, right. It was another day off - three in a row.

The first day I had acupuncture and it was great. It was so helpful and my practitioner - who is also a naturopathic physician - is excellent and the acupuncture really helped. A lot. I was feeling good - though, admittedly, just a little spacey. The good kind of spacey; in post-acupuncture-Qi-flowing kind of spacey. Did a couple errands. Went home and tried to make a little art (unsuccessful, but I tried). Did some feedback for students and writers online. Later called to make a therapy appointment for Friday; if possible; but I was fine until the regularly scheduled appointment next week.

The next day I got a call from and an appointment with my therapist. Yay! It was good. Then I took a trip to Trader Joe's to get lunch and dinner for the zoo concert: Indigo Girls. That took a long time and I wanted to get up there early to get parking. Which I did. Parked. Decided to become a zoo member: tax deductible, free admission for a year (including early for the concerts, to get in line early for a better seat) free parking. Walked the long way around and stood in line for another hour. Got great and I mean *great* seats, squeezed in with another interpreter, her sister, her friends and acquaintances. And the concert? Awesome - really. I would say that Indigo Girls are high on the list of Great In Person Musicians - and not all musicians are. I had a lot of laughs, good blueberries & peas & cheddar-gruyere & Akmak crackers, shared a bottle of wine. And wonderful music - Amy and Emily were amazing, I loved listening to them, was inspired by them, was soothed by them. The opening band, Mountain Moriah, was really good, too.And Indigo Girls' violinist - wow; she was amazing, when she played it went straight to my cells. The combination of Indigo Girls and their violinist (whose name I don't remember, unfortunately) - magic. (Below is a video from their Lowell MA concert  on 6/23/11 of a new song on the updoming new CD.)




Then day three arrived. I thought I might go for a bike ride, but I'd stayed up late writing, editing. And the day was already under way. And I realized that I had this very busy week -- right after I had the thought that "On The Third Day I Wrote." Then the realization hit me that the first thing I needed to do was go to the store to buy some food to chop and prep and cook for the week because, in this very busy week, if I didn't do it on this, the third day, I'd be eating out for most of my meals = expensive and not very healthy most of the time due to scheduling. While at the store I received a page that we were, indeed, meeting up with my partner's son and his fiancee to celebrate his birthday (which is actually on Monday); which was totally great and I was thrilled. So - I'd already dismissed the bike ride; but walking around Costco for 3+ hours would be good exercise, though I could accomplish as much in 30-45 minutes on the bike or an hour of plain walking, probably - but it was movement, right? So I also realized that writing wasn't going to happen, because my first job on My Monday (Sunday) was very early, which meant early to bed, yada yada. No worries.

So - On The Third Day I ... went grocery shopping. Chopped two kinds of cabbages. Boiled eggs. Thawed an Ahi steak. Chopped some cheese. Divided up the blueberried: some for her and some for me so we each get some and don't accuse the other of eating them all (either accusation could be true). Washed and sorted spinach leaves and froze some. Consolidated flax seeds and ground a small container-ful for the week. Cooked the broccolini (one bag; left one bag raw). Stacked the case of soy milk and the half case of chicken stock (easy soup: organic chicken or veggie stock, fresh or fresh-frozen spinach leaves, optional kernel corn or diced peppers or broccoli or other vegetable - add protein of your choice (chicken, tuna, tofu, beans - whatever); heat and enjoy).

I didn't write.

But today between jobs, I did write. I put down a really good start to one of the missing chapters. Then tomorrow when I meet up with a writing friend for a couple of hours, I will transpose the handwritten beginnings into the computer and, perhaps, finish that first draft. And later tonight, after work, I was writing an email about how I couldn't seem to write this other chapter and the beginnings of that just poured out.

So, maybe I did need to gather the vegetables and the stocks and the soy milk and cook up some fuel because I would have spent that time today chasing after food at the store or the healthiest place I could find and get in and out of quickly. Instead of writing.

Today, I wrote.

Even cooking and cutting vegetables can aid a writer. Yes, it can.

And so can time off.
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Razor's Edge for Friday 7/22/11

For today's prompt, I'm going to redirect you to Bonnie Hearn Hill's blog. She wrote a wonderful post about developing your characters, which came from a recent workshop she facilitate.

If you have a piece you're already working on, read through Bonnie's essay and follow her instructions for a character in your current writing. It may be a character who seems a little two dimensional or perhaps you're having a hard time pinning down just who they are. Or it may be a character who is rarely in the story but needs a little filling out.

Or this may be a character who is not yet assigned to a story. Pick a character or let her come to you, and write following Bonnie's instructions.

Characters. Is it really as complex as we sometimes make it out to be?

Quote of the Day via Jessica Morrell

This appeared on Jessical Morrel's blog, The Writing Life Too and it is too good to not share.

"We must stay drunk on writing so reality does not destroy us."

Ray Bradbury

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A Time of Change and Wonder

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My massage therapist, Cydney, moved away last week; she closed her practice the week before that. I've known for a month that she was leaving and was able to get one final visit with her in her last week. She was amazingly gifted, insightful, intuitive and had helped me so much over the years I'd been seeing her.

My previous massage therapist, Simone, who I'd been working with for a number of years - first as a colleague at the health care clinic, then as my massage therapist - committed suicide. She was also very sensitive and intuitive, but she didn't have the tools to protect herself and there are many details I don't know. She went through a tough time due to a mental health condition and took time off work. She went back to a small private practice and not too long afterward, she killed herself. It was traumatic for many in our community. Many questions, no answers.

I got a referral to Cydney from someone I trust; Cydney has been an amazing massage therapist/body worker. So, while the transition to a new LMT was unexpected and the circumstances were emotionally hard, all turned out well.

Cydney's reasons for leaving are vastly different - she is very much alive and thriving. And it was still unexpected and I wasn't ready to change. But she did give me some names of other massage therapists in the area, told me about how they work and gave me recommendations. She put a lot of time and thought into making good referral matches for her clients.

I talked to Cydney's top two referrals for me on the phone. I'd scheduled an appointment with the first person - but after I talked with the second LMT, it "felt right" - more right than the first person, whom I'm sure is skilled and would do good work (and was highly recommended by Cydney, too).

So the end of last week I went for the appointment with the new LMT, Daria, and - wow. Her work was amazing. I feel that she was definitely the right choice for me and all of my nervousness about starting over with someone new has dissipated. I think this new bodywork experience is going to take me into a new direction and a new relationship with my body. I would have happily continued with Cydney and am going to miss her - and this feels like a right and good transition.

And I also would like to tell Cydney "thank you," for allowing me the opportunity to heal from my transition to her by providing an opportunity to transition out to a new LMT in a healthy, thoughtful, and respectful way. I don't blame Simone - I know she suffered and she did a lot of good for a lot of people, she was very kind and loving and caring, almost too much so for her own good; but it was hard to lose her as a friend and provider. I didn't realize there was a little residue of the loss of Simone until Cydney told me she was moving away; now I feel I've had the opportunity to heal that residue.

I'm not exactly clear how this relates to writing at this moment - except that it is another life lesson. And don't all life lessons help the writers and artists and dancers and actors? Even the CEOs if they'll listen, and anyone with a creative bone in their body?

Maybe this lesson, for me, is about being open to change. That saying about one door closing is the opportunity to open a new door. I know that's my own spin on the words, but that's how it is for me. Because I have been locked in the old place, shut in the room feeling like there is no way out, worried that if XYZ falls apart/falls through/breaks down then my whole life-system will crash and I'll have nothing.

So maybe now is the time to take this example and say, okay. There are options. Even tragedy, like Simone's death, can lead to a new opportunity. And sadness, like Cydney leaving town, can turn out to be an opportunity for growth and change I didn't even know was possible or needed.

And I wonder about other opportunities - presented or not yet, taken or avoided, how a loss is actually an opening to something else.

I have an application in for a program (IPRC's printing & publishing for writers) and am waiting for an answer; the deadline isn't until July 30th - I applied early. I really want to do this program - and I have this amazing clarity that whatever their decision, it will be the right thing for me right now. Yes, I want it; yes, I'm hoping they accept me; yes, it would be absolutely great and there would be so many opportunities opened up because of this new knowledge and skill set. And, if the answer is "not now" - I will be okay and there will be reason.
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The Last Of Borders' Stores To Close

Are brick and mortar bookstores dead?

It is undeniable that the book industry had changed. How we read books. How we write books. How we publish. How we sell - and who sells - books. Everything has changed. And people are exclaiming the end of the printed book.

Now, another bookstore has fallen, and some are proclaiming this is it - the end of a lifestyle. According to NPR,

Laura Bartell, a bankruptcy law professor at Wayne State University, told the Detroit Free Press, "The physical bookstore has become a thing of the past."

Is she right? Or is this merely another change?

Does the fall of the giant, national bookstores mean there is no need for bookstores at all? Or is this another restructuring and an opportunity for the readers and the writers to take back the bookstore - to make it what we want and need. Our vision - not the corporate vision.

Maybe.

Yesterday I read an article about an author who recently opened a bookstore. A writer friend described the opening, which included two authors' readings, and how this bookstore was a part of the community. Then today I read about Borders closing - which I think we all saw coming after the buyout deal failed last week.

My hope is that this is an opportunity for us to take back the books. To take back the bookstore. Don't get me wrong - I'm not starting an argument for or against electronic books and readers. I've heard pros and cons, I have my preferences; and I know some really valuable reasons why the e-book readers are a wonderful invention for some people.

I am saying - don't take away the printed book, the community and culture of writing and printing and reading. Don't force us to be any more dependent on technology than we already are. As long as there is something to write or draw on and something to write or draw with, we can have written communication - reminders, stories, something to pass on. After the batteries have died, we've dropped the device in the toilet, it's raining outside, the backlight burns out, we lose the signal while the book is being downloaded ... we still have oral stories. We have the dirt, sand, shale, chalk, pieces of cement. Leaves. Charcoal. Tree bark shed in wind storms. Natural chalk. Reeds.

One thing for sure - this is a time of change. The publishing industry has been changing drastically since about 2008 from what I've heard. Which has made some major changes for writers and readers. And change isn't all bad.

I try not to be one who falls for "the sky is falling" doom and gloom predictions. I have been, in the past - but have learned better. So - Borders has fallen; B&N and Amazon are still selling books online. Small bookstores have gone away; new ones are cropping up.

Maybe I'm lucky to live in the Land of Powell's Books - who have had a viable online presence for a number of years, in addition to the big downtown store and the smaller neighborhood and specialty bookstores. We've lost smaller bookstores and we still have a couple or a few long-time independents.

I don't (want to?) believe that bookstores are going away forever. But they sure are changing. There is more to bookstores than the chain giants. And Christi Craig's post about the writer's new bookstore in her home town was one inspiring story about how bookstores are not a thing of the past.
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