New Year's Reflection

As I write my first blog of the new year, I am realizing that it has been approximately 6 months since I have written here. To what can I attribute this dilemma? A very busy life, and even moreso, a very busy mind. Much has transpired since my last post. My new home (requiring much-needed and exciting to complete renovation) and my usual work as a superhero (a.k.a. teacher) have kept me occupied lately, but I have been doing my best to conjure methods of attaining BALANCE in my life for all my intrinsic and extrinsic desires and necessities. I have not reached the perfect solution just yet, but I make progress everyday. All this ambiguity may not make much sense, but just know that making time to write this and just sit and *think* warms my heart! Right here, right now, to someone or to no one, I am so very happy to be writing.

Writing makes me happy. However, I have a dilemma. I find that I have lots of ideas of topics I would like to write about, and I brainstorm some of the ideas into seedlings of a good start on... well... something, but then, I lose the much needed focus and attention required for the flourishing of any one finished piece. It could be that I always have several projects going on simultaneously. At any rate, I need to do better with this issue. I do not want to make a resolution - especially since those are usually made for breaking and the time has already passed to make one - so I guess I will say this: I will try to finish at least one personal literary project this year. I will mark my electronic calendar and write back in a year to let you know about my progress toward this goal.

Before I go to sink away in a relaxing bubble bath home spa experience in my newly renovated bathroom :::sigh::: let me say: Happy New Year to you, and I hope you were able to have a very merry Christmas with the ones you love. Take care. :)

Relationships

One element that I would like to focus on in my writing is the parent-child relationship. Somehow I would like to present a moment between a child and parent, and then present their individual points of view about the experience. My mother-in-law once said, "I try to believe that all parents are the best parents that they know how to be." There is never enough experience or research that can prepare a parent to act or react to every situation, and in some ways, children and their parents are similarly along for the ride, coping with life as it comes, and learning myriad lessons along the way.

In my story, I have developed a variety of parent-child relationships to explore that span age and gender possibilities. I strive to create a real depiction of the human condition but with a touch here and there of the super natural. Critical pieces of human development are our relationships, especially those between parents and children beginning at, well, conception.

Recipe for Great Writing: Add a Pinch of Shakespeare

I spent about thirty minutes writing this morning, and my ideas were influenced greatly by Shakespeare. Two common plot elements in Shakespearean plays are letters and mistaken identity. Letters, however significant or insignificant, often provide information that somehow drives the plot. Similarly, characters mistaking each other's identity is often critical to plot conflicts and many twists and turns that keep the characters and the audience at attention. There is some kind of letter in every play, whether it is a letter from Fortinbras to Hamlet or a letter seemingly from Olivia to Malvolio. Two plays that are greatly driven by mistaken identity are A Midsummer Night's Dream and Twelfth Night.

Part of becoming a great writer is to read great writing. In doing so, one can find many great tools for the writer's tool box.

Time to Write

I once read a biography of the Nobel prize winning author Gabriel Garcia Marquez that said that Garcia Marquez locked himself in a room for two years to write a novel while his wife cared for his children and household.

As for me, I am a middle school language arts teacher, wife, daughter, granddaughter, sister, friend... etc., and writer falls somewhere at the bottom of the list. I cannot imagine what it would be like to have two years to sit, think, and write. My work life already pours over into my home life. Grading papers and lesson planning while watching t.v. or taking road trips is definitely not the most exciting part of my job. Taking time out to write while balancing teaching and home life seems nearly impossible for me.

So, Mr. Garcia Marquez, my question is: How did you find the time... and the money... to hide away and write for two years?

These are life's writable moments.

Purdy woke me up this morning, nudging my face and hand and licking me. I am currently rereading the stories of Alice in Wonderland, and I have been contemplating Cheshire Cat-types of characters. I find that my own cat, who is friendly and has a unique personality, provides much inspiration a well.

Talk About It

Last night, my friend and I were discussing our writing. She has been working on a memoir piece for quite some time and is considering it from more of a psychological perspective; whereas, my central piece is fictional, and I am in the process of developing my characters, their conflicts, and the central plot that brings them all together. Throughout the conversation, she asked me many questions about the characters, their backgrounds, their motivations, and their conflicts. In doing so, she forced me to consider details and possibilities that I either had not thought of at all just yet or that I had not taken the time to think through on my own. Opening up to a friend and sharing my writing process with her helped me to rethink where I am with the story and where I want to go with it. Feedback is important, and writers do not have to go it alone. Talking about it can help put writing into perspective and bring about great insight for future practice.

"Arouse! for you must justify me."

I've been reading a lot of Whitman lately, and I came across this poem today.  As a writer, I believe it is important to receive constructive criticism and feedback from a viable audience in order to know how I can improve my writing.  Additionally, I look to the greats of the past to find samples of writing techniques that I would like to practice, emulate, and make my own.

The following poem is from a poetry anthology entitled Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman.

Poets to Come

Poets to come! oraters, singers, musicians to come!

Not to-day is to justify me and answer what I am for,

But you, a new brood, native athletic, continental, greater than before known,

Arouse! for you must justify me.

I myself but write one or two indicative words for the future,

I but advance a moment only to wheel and hurry back in the darkness.

I am a man who, sauntering along without fully stopping, turns a casual look upon you and then averts his face,

Leaving it to you to prove and define it,

Expecting the main things from you.

(Inspiration 3.13) Experimenting with Conflict-driven Plot

I continue to develop episodes about the McGhee family, but still I have yet to determine a clear plot for my novel.  So, in my notebook, I've started a list for each main character.  The list begins with Jayme McGhee, and I've developed a mini-plot outline for her including the major conclicts in her life that will move her plot thread throughout the book.  Two questions I asked myself are these: Ultimately, what are Jayme's problems and what will she accomplish by the end of the novel?  After developing this rough sketches of plot threads for each major character, I will try my best to weave them together.  Hopefully, the final product will be a unified, seamless novel with a successful plot.

(Inspiration 3.6) This strand is growing!

In case this is your first time stopping by my blog, I'll clue you in to what's going on.  My goal is to write a novel.  When I ever-so-boldly proclaimed this goal, I wasn't sure what my topic would be, who my characters were, or even what points I might be trying to make.  However, whenever inspiration strikes, I've been jotting down notes and ideas here in my blog.  (I've also been writing in a notebook that I keep in my purse in case I'm not around my computer... I'll add these entries on here later...)  I have been numbering my new inspirations, with related posts collecting under the same numbered strand.  So far, strand #3 has taken off, and it is quite exhilarating because I'm slowly but surely "getting to know" these characters who, three weeks ago, I had never even considered.  I'm starting to wonder if I should create a new blog dedicated to these ideas...?  As I've never done this before, I'm really not sure.  

Any ideas?  All comments and advice are sincerely appreciated.

(Inspiration #1) So, I'd like to write a book...

...but where is the time for that? I'm going to start jotting down ideas here whenever the muses inspire me...

Inspiration #1

Cultural Confusion: Fun with Idiomatic Phrases

"Cucumbers are cool?"

This was said by Jorge, a man from Peru who works at a local autoparts store. Now, his co-workers make up other random phrases to throw him off, which is definitely not as cool as a cucumber... ;)

However, I bet he would understand what it means to get up on the left foot... levantarse con el pie izquierdo... or, I mean, wake up on the wrong side of the bed!