A Risk Worth Taking?

The other day my daughter stated, "Whoa! Listen to this. When someone appears in your dreams, it's because that person misses you!." She asked if I thought this was true. After all, it had been tweeted from @MindBlowingFacts (or some such account on Twitter). "Does the world really work like that? Does that kind of energy between people exist?" Her blue eyes were wide with hope.

Wouldn't it be nice to believe that? Wouldn't it be even nicer, if it were true? Not knowing if her declaration was rooted in a new-found crush or a renewed interest in someone from her past, and not wanting to influence any possible actions on her part that might lead to some unrequited declarations of love, I opted to answer with a left-brained approach.

First of all, I told her, if you're dreaming of someone, then most likely, it is because either YOU'RE the one that misses them, or you have unfinished business, or you have a mind that tends to wander. There is absolutely no way of knowing or proving if it is also because they miss you, unless you want to explore that possibility by sounding like a crazy person when you ask them. Second of all, dreams happen all the time, but not all of them hold much meaning. For example, the other night I dreamed about a bag of Hostess powdered donuts. Yes, Hostess Donuts. They were sitting on a small round table in front of me. And an old friend in the dream was asking me if I wanted one. I am quite certain that while I miss those bite-sized powdered donuts from Hostess, it is doubtful that they were thinking of me. Even more doubtful that the old friend had any interest in my dietary preferences or inclinations at 3am.

But my daughter can be relentless. And she wasn't impressed by my donut dream. A couple hours later she said, "Guess what, Mom. Here is another Mind Blowing Fact. If you are thinking about someone all the time, then there is an 80% chance that the other person is thinking about you, too." With a laugh, she asked me what I thought about THIS tweet -- another one from her Go-To Source for Advice on Life on Twitter.

Looking at her, I wanted to proceed with my answer carefully. With some 40+ years behind me, and some 40+ years yet to be lived by her, I wondered whom she might be thinking about. If her crush were being returned. If there were any way of finding out if this Tweeted Fact might be true.

At first, I didn't have an answer to her second question. Was it likely that the main reason you thought of one person incessantly was due to the fact that they were also thinking of you? Was fate so sadistic that two people such as this would go on thinking of each other throughout the rest of their lives, being left with the other only in their thoughts? Or would one eventually break the silence and embrace the irrationality of their obsession by trying to bridge the gap and reach out? The writer in me voiced, Sounds like a great story for fiction!

As I said before, I wondered if I could shield her from the disappointment that sometimes follows from taking risks?

No. As much as I wanted to, I couldn't. In the end, my answer was simply this. "Anything is possible." Boring, I know. And not earth-shattering in any way. But I hoped it was general enough to help her nudge open the door to opportunity, if that was what she wanted. After all, I do want her take some risks. Some risks do lead to rewards.

As writers, we force our characters to take risks all the time. Should life be any different? IS life any different? In the end, I suppose not. Because in the end, fiction is written around characters that live through situations that readers can relate to; and characters face risks that readers should ultimately understand.

Does life have risk? I hope so. Although realistically, I hope it's the least foolish ones that gain our attention. Which begs the question, Where is the risk in that?

On that, all I can say is, I have absolutely no idea. I'm hoping that my daughter's Twitter friend will have the answer. And that she will be forging blissfully through life, happy with the risks she's taking on her own.

What do you think? Where lie the limits to the power of the mind? Where lie the limits to risk?

Happy New Year!

My resolution is simple to keep me focused:

 

be

a better

person

 

 

Care to inspire me to do more?

Feel free to share yours

 

 

On sailing, on life

The great thing about sailing is that you can sail into the wind, with it blowing across the bow at you, or you sail with the wind at your back....

Either way, you shall arrive at your destination.
 

To put a FUSE to the Muse

You've heard this phrase before: "Feed the muse."

Writers, painters, actors, and creative peoples in general are always on the lookout for new and exciting ways to keep the creative juices flowing, myself included. Recently, I was asked what I did to inspire my creative soul. Did I take walks? Listen to soothing music? Study the stars?

Uh, no. I'm not so artsy-idylic as that. Instead, I keep it simple.

Basically, I drink Rockstar... stock Rockstar (yes, the drink)... think like a Rockstar... and play like a Rockstar. You see, the mind is a powerful thing, and I like to boost it up in as many fun and legal and legitimate ways I can think of (within reason). The adrenaline rush I get in return gives me the confidence, drive, and endurance I need in pursuing all my goals, including those related to writing.

How do I play like a Rockstar? Well,  I do things that normal, responsible persons normally wouldn't do like...

1. Defy gravity whenever possible. For example, in winter, I challenge myself on the ski slope by thinking I can tackle any steep mogul run that gets in my way by keeping  my skis actually pointed downhill, and then I make myself ski that way (downhill) (yes, tricky, I know), even though I may lack all forms of grace in the process.

2. Defy the limits of biochemistry. Specifically, MY biochemistry. This is particularly helpful when I feel like I'm spinning my wheels with a story. What do I do? I run myself into the ground (literally) by running to the gym. The kickback is a special bonus if I happen to accomplish this task in cold weather, when every muscle, including my all-powerful, yet not-so-indomitable-brain, would rather not cooperate. Then when I reach my destination, I let myself feel impressed with having done something that was in its own small way, (not so) amazing.

3. Defy boundaries. Normally I'm a shy person. Reaching out to connect with other people, whether it be simply making small talk in line at the supermarket or making a comment on a new blog I've visited, rejuvenates my spirit. In a way, it's reassuring to realize that we're all human, despite living among one or two awkward monkeys, or llamas, or turtles, or whathaveyou.

All in all, keeping the little things in life sparkling with a daily dose of renewed energy helps keep the well brimming when it comes to tackling my daily writing goals, which in turn, extends into all other parts of my life.
Putting a fuse to the muse... I've found, can be a very fun thing.

On Setting, as it relates to: Living, Loving New Hampshire Again

My summer vacation with the kids was truly incredible. It was wonderful to connect with family and friends. The days were so full of sunshine, sailing, boating, fishing, and swimming, it was amazing to think I actually found time to sit back and relax in one place from time to time and simply enjoy the scenery.

Yet, even in those quiet moments, I was reminded of how when we settle down and be still, the world continues to move and breathe and fill in all the spaces around us with some form of energy, however subtle that may be.

The same can be said for writing, or more specifically, for writing about settings. (Yes, I always try to connect my posts to the subject). In a previous post, I said that a story is lost without a sense of setting. However, a setting is not simply colors and temperatures and textures and sounds. It's not enough to say, "The ridge was lined with green trees."

It's important that the setting be layered with a sense of movement, or energy.

Avi begins The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle with a setting that moves with the character:

Just before dusk in the late afternoon of June 16, 1832, I found myself walking along the crowded docks of Liverpool, England, following a man by the name of Grummage.


In Drowning Ruth, Christina Schwarz's setting seems nearly alive:

Lakes were scattered all over this part of the country, their outlines different, but their innards just the same. They were drops and drips and splashes on the land. They were holes and craters lined with skin too thin to hold back the springs that rushed to fill them, and most of them were dotted here and there with stubborn little islands, knobs of land that refused to dip their heads under water.


Good stories are written with settings that carry their own form of action, their own essense of life. In the real world, in nature, we become unsettled when something goes wrong, when the world becomes suddenly still--like the calm before the storm, causing us to stop, step back, and wonder what has happened.

Likewise, a reader can be thrown out of a story, or become disengaged, when the setting is too quiet, or too stark, or too absent (unless that in itself is part of the storyline). If too much is missing, if the reader doesn't become connected with a living world inside a book--one that moves and pulses with energy--then the reader isn't likely to stay too long. They'll wonder what is wrong, and perhaps, if they can't connect on a personal level with the character, they may walk away and connect with the energy of another.

I'm happy to say, my vacation, with all the combined energies of the quiet and action-packed moments, was far too hard to walk away from. But it's one that I can relive in the memories again and again.

Trolling Deeper Waters, Pelican-style

Pelicans "hunt" for fish in much the same way that sheepdogs herd sheep. They swim together, fanning out in a line, which spooks the fish into swimming ahead of them. The pelicans continue swimming forward, herding the fish into shallower waters where the pelicans can scoop them up into their expandable bills. I love pelicans! And I'm so happy we have a flock nesting in Cache Valley this year.

But of course, I'm not just a pelican lover, I'm a writer, and so now, I'll connect the dots between these two, because there's a lot to be learned from these magnificent birds.

Re-writing or editing a novel can be a lot like fishing, pelican-style. You swim over the surface of your story, checking plot, sharpening your characters, defining their motives, while herding the entire story into the shallows. Doing so allows you to focus in on what you've been mining for all along, the underlying message you really want your story to say, the emotional connection that feeds readers and keeps them connected.

Herding the "meat" of your story takes patience; it takes time; it might even take a little team work from your critique group; but it is entirely necessary for bringing up the treasures lying beneath the surface.

And if you do your job right, perhaps those treasures will even take flight.

Happy writing everyone!

Signs

There are so many different types of signs.

Stop signs.

Street signs.

Warning signs.

Signs of love.

Signs of hate.

Signs of the times.

Good signs.

Bad signs.

Hand signs.

Plus signs.

Reading-between-the-lines signs......................

It seems to me that there should be a rule that when you come across one--at least, a really important one--then, some sort of instructions should come with it. Kind of like a sign with the sign. An interpretation. An explanation. A footnote.

Because I've been told SO many times that the Lord, and Fate, and Karma, and WhoKnowsWhatElse work in mysterious ways. And usually, those works are shown in signs. The Trick is knowing when you're getting one, or seeing one--a real-live, relevant sign from some other Power That Be. It all seems so nice, doesn't it? So comforting. So-glad-to-know-someone's-looking-out-for-me.

The problem is, that throughout the course of the day, or the week, or the month, or the year, I'm bombarded with signs. Some of them I follow. Some of them, like this one, I shouldn't (long story). But I worry that most of them--the ones that might be worth noting--I probably just miss. And the ones I do come across, I don't know what what to think about, or if I should think about them at all. Like the crystal blue forget-me-not found on a bench, or the flying 50-pound chimney cover that missed my head by an inch.

I guess it shouldn't matter. Some signs are easier to follow than others. And if someone IS looking out for me, planting signs, some of which I see, and eventually, I end up in the places I'm supposed to be, then maybe I don't need those directions with the signs, afterall. Maybe I'll just settle into being comfortable, bumbling along, enjoying what it means to be me.

On Moving Forward

My friend Darla shared her favorite quote with me. I thought I'd post it here.

Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving. --Einstein, in a letter to his son.

Make it great day!

15 TIPS FROM AUTHORS AND EDITORS FOR WRITERS

Hi all,

A couple weekends ago I went to a fantastic writers conference in Eden, Utah, where the presenters shared all sorts of information geared toward helping us define and sharpen our careers. And it got me thinking . . . about all the great conferences I’ve been to in the past, and all the words of wisdom that I’ve heard along the way, and after a while I decided to dig out those old conference notes to see what I might have forgotten and relive moments that might be worth reliving.

Out of that pleasant exercise, I’ve come up with 15 TIPS FROM AUTHORS AND EDITORS FOR WRITERS.

15. Never under-estimate the power of gestation time. . . . And to quote Earnest Hemingway, Don’t leave your typewriter until you know what you’ll write the next day.
– David Sheffield, comedy film screenwriter

14. Revision ==> Re-vision.
– Ann Cannon, author, Charlotte's Rose

13. Don’t be afraid to throw out what you’ve done and try a new approach.
—Deborah Hopkinson, author, Fannie in the Kitchen,, Up Before Daybreak, Apples to Oregon

12. Write in Scenes. Show the character develop through what happens.
– Linda Sue Park, author, A Single Shard, Seesaw Girl

11. In a picture book, every word must sing.
– Julie Strauss-Gabel, Associate Editorial Director, Dutton

10. When I can imagine myself in the character’s skin, then I begin to write.
– Kathleen Duey, author, The Unicorn's Secret, The Faeries' Promise

9. Hook readers on the first page through tension, character, or voice. Show what makes that day different from any other.
– Susan Kochan, Editor, Putnam

8. Passion finds a way.
– Cameron Steve Wright, author, Letters for Emily

7. A novel is about the way things have to change in order to survive.
– Richard Peck, author, Here Lies the Librarian, The Last Safe Place on Earth

6. Understand what your character values, and what risk of losing that really means.
– Kim W. Justesen, author, My Brother, The Dog

5. To quote Richard Peck again, . . . “I noticed, while I was growing every minute at the typewriter, mysteriously, my readers remained the same age.”
So out of that, you can trust these words . . . “Know your audience, and write for them.”
-- Kay Lockner of AuthorMBA.com

4. Spend your words like money. Make sure there are no extras.
– Carol Lynch Williams, author, The True Colors of Caitlynne Jackson, If I Forget, You Remember

3. The rhythms in your writing mirror the rhythms in your life – the sound of an oscillating fan, the buzz of traffic, the gurgle of a mountain stream. Get at the heart of those rhythms – whether they be past or present – and you’ll get at the heart of what drives your narrative voice.
– Ken Brewer, poet, sum of accidents

2. Quite often, your instincts in your first draft are good. Use the editing process to get at the rhythms within and best word choice.
– Ken Brewer

And 1. . . . which is not gleaned from a conference, but are my favorite words to write by:

When you have gone so far that you can not manage one more step, then you’ve gone just half the distance you’re capable of.
– Greenland proverb


So there you have it. A small collection of useful tidbits sent floating out you. But because I’m only one person hitting conferences here and there, please feel free to share and post your own here.

Happy writing!

Shaunda