I'm sorry I've been so long away. I've been working on a short story, as well as a fiction novel, and it's kept me pretty busy. No excuse, I know. So here I am.
Yesterday evening, when a storm visited our area, I sat by our window just to be. While I sat there, face pressed against the screen like an impatient child, the most delightful wind pushed itself into the house past me. Without knowing why, I smiled and let the moment wash over me. A memory called to me from the recesses of my mind, and the weather was just enough to mix up that creative soup. But the words I needed weren't there. So now I'm enjoying the quiet ruminatins that mean something more will be borne of that moment, still before the storm.
Creativity isn't something easy for me to catch, so the feeling of that moment is like heaven. Anyone who's ever sat and tried to force something into being will recognize that moment for what it is...a blessing and a gift!
But for the rest of the time, when I need to put something to paper, I've had to create ways that work for me. The first place I turn is my journal, this amazing little program that helps me keep track of my writing, and has some hints for writers to spark movement of gears inside head, of fingers on keyboard. (yep, it's the journal I have listed to the left. ) Often those prompts are all I need; I do sometimes need to shift the focus slightly to help "fit" what I'm struggling to get written.
When that fails me I take a walk, with a small recorder in hand. I walk and observe the world, the writing I need to do running through my mind. Sometimes I'll play with phrases, ideas. or just list what I'm seeing or thinking...all the while talking into the recorder. It's rare I come home empty of words then.
But when all else fails, I turn to my writing group, "The Writing Bridge". Belonging to this great group of writers helps in so many ways. First, there are the general writings that need to be done in order to remain an active participant. In addition, there is always something to critique. It's interesting how often critiquing someone else's work will give me ideas...most often completely unrelated to what I'm reading. The group also holds writing contests (just for the fun and experience, and a member-related perk) and has listed 'writing assignments' as well. And these go back a ways, so there is plenty of fodder there to feed anyone's hungry muse.
Speaking of which, I have a piece to finish up to post on The Writing Bridge tomorrow.
Keep stopping back. I'm sure with summer I'll have more time to post.
Stay well and keep writing.
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Friday, May 4, 2007
A Writer Writes
I've been writing most of my life. In grammer school my writing and language teacher, Mrs. Lieberg, nurtured and nourished the 4th grade writer in me. She introduced me to poetry, encouraged me to read as much as possible, and shared with me her love of words.
She made my first journal. It was 4x6 inch paper with abstract art pasted to the front. She encouraged a poem journal, and I wrote. When I'd filled it, she gave me a notebook. By then journaling had become a way of life for me.
She was a writer. Looking back, I know she was a good writer. And she was always reminding me that I was, as well. I was shocked, but she would smile and point to my journaling. "A writer writes. Always."
And so, many years later, I am still journaling. I've tried plain word processing programs, simple notebooks, beautiful notebooks, and journaling software. And I've found that I can write by hand on most any paper. Using computers have some advantages, but there is still a part of me that loves the feel of the pen scratching and rolling smoothly across the paper.
The journal writing programs have, for the most part, been more difficult and not intuitive enough to encourage writing. Recently I've found one that is fairly simple, straight forward, and has a wonderful feature that allows the author/journal-keeper to add notes to a section or a whole document, making it easy to find when searching for subjects. (If you're interested in the journaling program, look to the left. It's under "Writer's Tools." There are other types...which you'll see when you look at the link. And there is a newsletter full of neat little tips on using the program better. I have to say that it's saved me a lot of time putting articles together. And it's locked with a password, so my teenage daughter can keep a journal here as well and not feel her creativity or privacy have been trod on.
Really, a journal can be anything you want or need it to be. I use it to do "brain dumps," as they are inelagently called. I also write stream of conscious, write about a subject set as a topic somewhere (Writer's Digest, The Writing Bridge, and a few others.) These keep me writing. And there are contests, requests for articles, and other jobs that keep me writing and pay the bills.
And so, I am writing. Every day. And if you would be a writer, I urge you to write. Don't edit, don't try to find a focus (unless you already have one) and write...write...write.
She made my first journal. It was 4x6 inch paper with abstract art pasted to the front. She encouraged a poem journal, and I wrote. When I'd filled it, she gave me a notebook. By then journaling had become a way of life for me.
She was a writer. Looking back, I know she was a good writer. And she was always reminding me that I was, as well. I was shocked, but she would smile and point to my journaling. "A writer writes. Always."
And so, many years later, I am still journaling. I've tried plain word processing programs, simple notebooks, beautiful notebooks, and journaling software. And I've found that I can write by hand on most any paper. Using computers have some advantages, but there is still a part of me that loves the feel of the pen scratching and rolling smoothly across the paper.
The journal writing programs have, for the most part, been more difficult and not intuitive enough to encourage writing. Recently I've found one that is fairly simple, straight forward, and has a wonderful feature that allows the author/journal-keeper to add notes to a section or a whole document, making it easy to find when searching for subjects. (If you're interested in the journaling program, look to the left. It's under "Writer's Tools." There are other types...which you'll see when you look at the link. And there is a newsletter full of neat little tips on using the program better. I have to say that it's saved me a lot of time putting articles together. And it's locked with a password, so my teenage daughter can keep a journal here as well and not feel her creativity or privacy have been trod on.
Really, a journal can be anything you want or need it to be. I use it to do "brain dumps," as they are inelagently called. I also write stream of conscious, write about a subject set as a topic somewhere (Writer's Digest, The Writing Bridge, and a few others.) These keep me writing. And there are contests, requests for articles, and other jobs that keep me writing and pay the bills.
And so, I am writing. Every day. And if you would be a writer, I urge you to write. Don't edit, don't try to find a focus (unless you already have one) and write...write...write.
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