great expectations – the gap between what we want to write and what we actually produce

Does the end result of your story stop you from even beginning? That seems to be my current problem…

“I dream of an Eagle, I give birth to a Hummingbird.” ~ Edith Wharton

There is a gap many writers experience. Between the expectation and the final product. In my head it’s a beautifully weaved quilt of literary genius. On paper (or screen) it’s a mess of my random connections between characters, inner intentions and very vague symbolism. An example is one scene I wrote in the Finding your Writer’s Voice Workshop… (can’t believe I’m sharing this; don’t stone me!)

Tiffany saw the way the Earth looked at dusk, but never from yards above the rooftops. She didn’t expect it to be so cold and wobbly. Though Gretchen did say there would be flashes of lightning.

“All the better to see you with, my dear,” she had said in her wicked witch voice. Complete with a cackle.

Tiffany couldn’t get used to that voice on Gretchen. But she really couldn’t get used to the energy that surged under her skin and lifted her feet from the ground.

“The umbrella is for effect?” She asked Gretchen.

“No, Mary Poppins, the umbrella is for control. The wind will carry your five foot frame wherever he wants, but at least you can guide the journey.”

 Journey. Exactly what Tiffany had wished for at the beginning of the summer. This is not what she had envisioned.

When Dad came home alone from the hospital last month, Tiffany just thought the baby needed more time to grow, develop, heal. And mom, too. But Dad’s face…

The image that prompted this rambling start of a YA story is pictured below (the girl holding the flying umbrella.)

top row, third from the left

Yes, this scene is very disconnected, riddled with grammatical errors and paced awkwardly. Given, it was written in Three Minutes. So, I need to forgive the drafting phase and remember…

“Value the process, not the product.” ~ Jane Yolen

How are you valuing your process? Do you have rituals? Ways to work through the doubt, through the Big Expectation?

believe.

Writing is more than creativity. It’s confidence.

{from tumblr.}

plant a SARK seed

So, I’ve talked about discovering SARK well after her height of popularity. But still, her concepts and inspiration ring true at any time. The magic of an artist’s spirit soars beyond society. 

Some SARKisms I jotted down in my notebook:

“I believe we need to go to where we want to be, and the resources will follow us.” ~ SARK, Inspiration Sandwich

WRITE IN COLOR…use a sketch book as a journal and my old scrapbooking markers to journal, make lists, collect quotes and draw/doodle little flowers and random patterns.

INVENT NEW WAYS OF BEING…reflect on how my life has changed since practicing The Year of Nurturing

I HAVE A LOT TO SHARE WITH OTHERS…Writing is therapy – without the appointment

WRITE MY BOOK…only I can 🙂

What do these concepts mean to you? How can each help to bring your creativity to the forefront of your LIFE??

Resurrecting Creativity

We officially passed the mid-point of the year (June 25) and my Year of Nurturing is still in progress… (what was your theme??)

So, I naturally gravitate to words like Zen, Spirit, Peace, Calm. I clicked on a link from Pinterest that had Zen and Writing in the title and landed in an article titled: Zen Power Writing” 15 Tips on How to Generate Ideas and Write with Ease. The blog post features tips mainly for article- and blog-writing, but I found this tip handy for my procrastination on my novel…

9. Leave end and beginning to the last. We can get stuck if we start at the beginning. The beginning is supposed to introduce the theme. But at the start of a writing project we may not know exactly what we’re going to say. So, it’s best to write the introduction later on. Once you have completed your first draft, it’s time to add an introduction and a conclusion. The intro can be short but it needs to say why your theme is important, or to outline the benefits that follow from reading your piece. The conclusion should tie it all together.

Do you procrastinate on any particular part of your writing? Beginnings? *raises hand* Middles? Ends? Editing? Querying? Maybe just sitting down with a vague and clichéd idea?

I’ve been struggling with resurrecting and developing my creativity since New Year’s Day, (2011 was filled with family and job drama, leaving me in an artist’s drought.)

I’ve made some false starts and some interesting, helpful discoveries. Wanna go on the ride with me? Come back tomorrow…

bruise

copyright Mary Jo Campbell, 2012

Letter to things: alarm clock

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Copyright Mary Jo Campbell, 2012

Don’t Think NOW…Reflect Later

SARK says, try more things without thinking so much about them. 

Here’s a list I came up with:

Writing

Calling an old friend

Asking a new friend to coffee

Randomly pull things from your fridge to make a soup

Start a blog

Start a diet

Share a journal

Volunteer!

Try a new restaurant

Write a poem

Compliment that stranger

Write about that thing

Steal a kiss

Hit SEND/Publish/Post/Call/Reply

Host a theme party

Sign up for something

Say YES!

Tell the truth

Register for Zumba

Watch a foreign movie

Speak up among friends

Speak up among co-workers

Invest in yourself

See & follow the signs

What am I doing w/o thinking? PUBLISH NOW!

(How about you??)

A Letter to Things

In my pursuit of pleasure & following my theme of Nurturing, I’ve jotted down some thoughts on a recent read. Check out the post that explains here>>

First up…a letter to things 🙂

Dear turquoise peace pants,

Firstly, I love your teenage color and cost (ala Target). The soft interior lining has me almost delirious with coziness. Almost. Because, I bought a size too big, you sag around my pouch and booty (hey, that can be a song!) instead of snuggly holding me in. I feel all loose and floppy. Then, the leggings seem to taper (hello, 80’s, much?!) if not a straight leg.

I expected a yoga pant fit. I mean, you’re throwing up a peace sign, man.

 

But, again, your softness and color make me smile. So, I’ll keep you.

Lazily yours,

Mar

(what my family calls me)

Pleasure at every turn

I may just be the last woman on Earth to have read SARK, but better late than never, right? Though her wildly colorful handwritten books are attractive to my creative psyche, it was visual overload for my right brain and hence, went unread for so long.

Thanks to my library, I picked up and finished Eat Mangoes Naked in 1.5 days. And here are some thoughts I jotted while reading:

• Letters to things, emotions, problems, etc. i.e. “Dear Change”
• Pockets filled with puffs of pleasure
• Instead of a “good time,” have “a time” (release expectations, fall into the experience)
• Face Value: take comments and replies from others (and myself!) @ face value (If you say “nothing’s wrong” I will not persist, read into hidden meanings, etc.)
• Receive without guilt or pause/Give without keeping score
• Let go of the need to “be right”
• Go somewhere DIFFERENT to find pleasure
• Be someone’s SIGN (random left notes)
• Tell my soul’s stories
• Be OPEN
• Cuddle babies
• Pay attention to Angels
• SMASH judgment
• Prompts: random memories; There was no reason___; Did you ever___; How did you__; All of the signs___
• Try more things without thinking so much about them first
• “Send out” pleasures
• Remember past pleasures

I have a few posts written and ready to publish soon, based on many of these thoughts.

Until then, I leave you with a quote / question:

“Tell me what it is you plan to do with your one* wild and precious life.” ~ Mary Oliver

*huh, I originally typed “won wild and precious life.” Do you feel like you’ve won your life or were just dealt your life?