An Even Better Day

Wow! For the first time in two full weeks I woke with no pointless anxiety. And I believe I have figured out what triggered it. This is probably going to sound strange, but here we go.

My Ongoing Effort to Find Calm

Besides pushing myself too hard to get out every day (though I really enjoyed myself for the most part), I let my joy of writing get carried away. Weird, right?

Let me explain. Thinking of a plot twist, or how a new character fits in the storyline, I almost skip to my laptop sometimes, raising my heart rate with a mild adrenaline rush.

I am certain that what has been termed the ‘lizard’ brain confused my raised heartbeat and perhaps pure intellectual stimulation with a reason to flee. Does that make sense?

My Brain in Plushie Form

In retrospect, creative self help guru Julia Cameron suggests artists channel drama into their creations. Why shouldn’t excitement be the same way? I'll try to keep it 'on the page'.

On a nice side note, I confessed this idea to my SO. Half expecting a scoff, I instead heard, “Oh, no! Writing is the greatest joy in your life!” How’s that for sweet compensation? Meanwhile, I’m gearing up to write today and reminding myself to take deep, slow breaths.

What do you think of my hypothesis?

-

Interesting Gibberish (Or How to Choke Your Inner Critic)

Experienced National Novel Writing Month participants will tell you the path to success lies in never editing while you write. And it’s true. You have to keep forging ahead or you will never reach fifty thousand words in a month (or perhaps never complete your story, period).

I do, however, have a tendency to clip untidy bits while writing. If an obnoxious word or phrase pops up I hit the <enter> key twice, move my cursor back to the sentence above, and continue on. That way those words I typed in the interest of fiction count toward my NaNo total, which I figure is more honest than counting the words from blog posts or emails, etc..

Today I read yesterday’s nonsense and had to laugh. And by sharing here, I am really sticking it to my inner critic. Ppphhhhbbbbbtttttt! Take that, you spoil sport! I think Julia Cameron – author of “The Artist’s Way” and other creative boosting workhops – would be proud.

Below is the gobbledygook that cracked me up:

gave him a How is that We the Father Richards the priest behaving rudely them saw Backing me up the behavior he seemed who which of us to hand the note it unwilling on walked sounding vague into in pressed to clutches

How do you defeat your inner critic?

-

The Power of Prayer

I have faith, not religion. And I believe in the benefits of prayer even if there is nobody to hear. It grounds me, improving my attitude if nothing else.

That said, is it wrong to do most of your praying naked? I realized that truth not terribly long ago. ~shakes head~ I guess the action of showering shuts off this writer's inner fictional dialog.

I do like to think God has a sense of humor. How else can you explain the platypus?

Still, what if my odd tendency annoys who or whatever is out there? Maybe I should set aside a meditation period after my Julia Cameron style morning journal time. What do you think?

-

Software Glitch or a Message from the Universe?

Before my muse kicked my writing back into gear I used to spend a lot of time playing games on my Kindle Fire (even more than reading, I’m ashamed to admit). Yesterday, I decided to play a few games of FreeCell.

Well, after perhaps my third round the screen locked up. This is the actual image, my favorite model as the customized background...

At Least I Won

I had to laugh and show my partner. Granted, all I needed to do was turn the Kindle off and back on to clear the issue, but it made me think of Julia Cameron and her “Artists’s Way” notions about the universe sometimes pushing us in the right creative direction.

Was a ghost in the machine telling me to quit screwing around and get back to rewrites? What do you think?

-

Serendipity

The Sky's the Limit (or at Least a Beginning)

Blessedly, I still have both my parents. They have reached an advanced age and I’ve mentioned before that my mother suffers numerous health issues. For now, Dad is doing pretty darn well. And I thank the Lord. While Mom hangs in there getting regular occupational therapy, she’s in limbo waiting for more leg surgery. We hope she will walk again.

Meanwhile, Dad is slowly working toward a decision that my siblings and I consider long overdue. He has begun cleaning some of the accumulation from nearly four decades at their current main residence in a long-term goal to downsize (and hopefully dwell in a single story home). During my last visit he surprised me by handing over a box of unused chalk pastels. Mom probably purchased them back in the 1980’s and I’m tickled that he opted not to toss the set out of hand.

To tie into my serendipitous notion, I actually looked at buying a set of these very art supplies a few months back. Deciding I shouldn’t spend the money, I forgot the notion just like I’d forgotten my mother buying the set I currently possess. Received a week ago, they saw some preliminary childish play today.

A video on YouTube introduced me on their use, which is simple but not necessarily intuitive. As a writer, I tended to want to hold them like pens or pencils. ~grin~ It will be fun to see what I can create.

I won’t mention Dad’s gift to Mom out of fear her sometimes confused mind will misconstrue the event as a sign she’s never coming home. Perhaps, however, I’ll get good enough to draw a past beloved pet. Or at least a sunrise…

How about you? Any serendipity blessing your creative life these days?

-

The 90 Day Novel

I'm so excited to have joined a daily novel workshop created and published by author Alan Watt - "The 90 Day Novel". Some friendly local authors will be meeting weekly during this summer project, and now I'm actually facilitating the workshop online!

This is a new venture for me. It's my hope to encourage creativity in others as well as to write a complete novel length manuscript over the next three months. Whatever happens, I like the idea of getting on the page and having fun telling story.

Thankfully, I have an emotionally safe place for my debut facilitation. The Writer Zen Garden has been my online home for many years now. The people are talented, open-minded, and generous. Let's hope I do right by them.

It helps that Alan Watt seems to have the same gentle approach to creativity as Julia Cameron. And my beloved Zen Garden forum group has not only invited me to join in on Ms. Cameron's various workshops but encouraged me to guest host one. Writing some of those essays gave me a little experience, at least.

Do you have any exciting plans over the coming months?

-

Tuesday Tidings for May 12, 2015

A month or so ago, my fellow authors on the Writer’s Retreat blog decided it would be a joyous thing to start sharing five blessings every Tuesday. They might be intimately personal issues or have more of a world view, and items may vary from the silly to the profound. It’s all about bringing some positive energy into the world. I hope you enjoy my inaugural entry:

I’m thankful:

1. my home is filled with laughter.
2. I enjoyed a wonderful week visiting the Atlantic Ocean.
3. the spring weather appears amenable to planting annual flowers and vegetables (note the operative word ~grin~).
4. it’s still early enough that I can visit the YMCA and achieve some other chores before lunch.
5. for plastics which, despite various negative connotations, make my modern life so much more comfortable than I can imagine without the stuff.

Since my daily journal entries open with five blessings per Julia Cameron’s “The Artist’s Way” teachings, I hope to keep the lists varied. It’s a rare day that nothing comes to mind even if there are perennial repeats I cannot avoid.

At any rate, the title for this came to me shortly before rising for the day. Is “tidings” too antiquated a word? I’d appreciate suggestions, as well as reading what blessings you can name today.

When we have a group linky set up on the Retreat, I’ll share that here and you are welcome to add an entry from your own blog if you wish. Happy Tuesday!

***

A is for ActivTrax – Motivation to Move

Kicking off our A to Z April blog challenge, ActivTrax fitness software seemed ideal. The service, available at my local YMCA, is almost like having a personal trainer. Though you do have to provide your own motivation. (Thankfully, I have that. At least for the time being. ~crosses fingers~) An initial strength evaluation with a health club staff member got me started. She took my information and set up an online account.

Using the software is easy as pie. Of course, the exercise itself is a challenge. That’s the whole point. Sometimes, however, the challenge extends beyond healthy.

For example, I once tried inadvertently to enact a scene from the movie “Dodgeball”. Like pulleys mangled poor Justin Long, the elastic Resist-a-Band basically mauled me. After two embarrassingly awkward attempts, I listed that little piece of malevolent equipment as a restricted exercise. The same goes for stability balls. I’m sorry, but breaking my neck is not on my agenda.

Now that I’ve been doing this for a while I feel pretty fantastic, mentally and physically. Both swimming and the weekly outdoor walks Julia Cameron prescribes in her “Artist’s Way” workshops fit nicely into days I don’t visit the YMCA.

I’m thankful for the ability and energy to do this. It is certainly good for a writer to get out of her head now and then. Don’t you agree?

-