Tenacity

There is a lovely purple flower growing right out of one of the the paved roads on my paper route. This flower grows through the road not because it's trying to be difficult, it doesn't know that it isn't supposed to be there. It simply sought light from the sun and broke through the pavement because that's where it happens to have it's roots. Growing is it's purpose and not even and inch and a half of asphalt is going to stop it from achieving it's goal.

Every time I put off sitting down to write or whine to myself that I'm too bored with a story to complete it I'm going to remember this flower. My purpose is to write and share my stories with others. I need to stop procrastinating and making excuses and be more like that flower. The flower knows it's time to grow, so it grows. Not even an impermeable barrier will stop it. From now on, when it's time to write, I will write. Nothing will stop me from reaching the sunlight.

WOW! Women On Writing Blog: Friday Speak Out!: My Writing Time is Non-Negotiable, Guest Post by Heather Humphrey

WOW! Women On Writing Blog: Friday Speak Out!: My Writing Time is Non-Negotiable, Guest Post by Heather Humphrey
Finally got a by-line that wasn't on my own blog. WOO HOO!

Duplicity

The streetlamps on the corner of one of the houses I deliver to are positioned in such a way that my body casts two separate shadows. Funny thing is that I've been reading a chapter dedicated to duplicity in "Becoming a Writer" and it's meaning really didn't click until I noticed this trick of light. It's like there are two of me. That's how it should be for any writer. The critic needs to remain separate from the creator. The creative personality needs to be protected and allowed to be full of intense feelings and sensitivity. That critical monster has to be kept away because it doesn't know how to play nicely with the creative pile of mush. The critic can silence the creator forever if the two aren't kept on their own sides of the bench. Cage the monster while your work is new. He'll have plenty of time to play when it's time to edit.

WOW! Women On Writing Blog: Plucking Story Ideas from Thin Air

Why I carry a notebook with me EVERYWHERE I go!

WOW! Women On Writing Blog: Plucking Story Ideas from Thin Air

Side Tracked

This morning during delivery I was distracted. I had an epiphany at work yesterday, a divine intervention type of revelation about a story idea I've been mulling over. Suddenly the whole thing appeared in my head. The outline is clear, the plot and characters are beginning to reveal themselves to me and I am ready to begin writing. Trouble is, I'm really busy. I know that I need several hours of time to plant my butt in a chair and write this stuff down. I need to organize the notes I've been taking on paper scraps. I need to do some research. But when? I barely have time to write this blog post and am doing so by sacrificing sleep!

While delivering, all I could think about was that I should be home filling in my bubbles and writing a chapter. I probably missed a few customers; my mind was not on task. Just as I was working myself into a frenzy thinking irrational thoughts about abandoning the route, I noticed the moon and stars. I realized that I'd been so wrapped up in my thoughts that I wasn't enjoying a gloriously clear night.

I remedied the situation and put the story and my time management angst on the back burner so that I could stop and smell the roses. I noticed that the stars are beginning the noticeable seasonal shift. I can just barely see Orion on the horizon and in a few months he'll be high in the sky. I noticed the moon. It was barely a sliver back-lit enough that I could see the outline of the entire orb. When the sun began to rise the sky was a solid pale blue with not a single cloud. The devil's in the details. Notice them and create mental images that will keep the devil satisfied.

WOW! Women On Writing Blog: The Adventure of Working From Home

WOW! Women On Writing Blog: The Adventure of Working From Home

For all the writers whom fail to give their writing the time it needs to flourish... click the link, read the blog, then tell everyone to buzz off while you write something!

Details of a Life

My new route is an old residential neighborhood. The sidewalks are cracked and uneven. The houses are close together. The steps are made of wood and creak under my weight. There are houses so tiny that I don't see how a family could possibly live in them. There are also houses so large that I could imagine several families living inside them. Many of the houses are multifamily dwellings with separate entrances. Many others have a single well kept entrance with the tell-tale signs of an elderly couple whom have probably lived there since they were 20 year old newlyweds- the plastic canvass needlepoint welcome sign, a wreath made out of faded plastic flowers and more obviously, the stone carving which reads “The Smith’s, est 1942."

I believe you can tell a lot about a family just by looking at the entrance to their house. One has a large water bowl for a dog to the right of the door. Another has a pair of muddy motocross boots on the sidewalk. The grass is always cut perfectly at one while the neighbors haven’t mowed for weeks. There are three cats staring at me from the back of a couch in one and several little dogs barking at the next. Some have the signs stating that the place is protected by a security system while others leave the front door wide open.

It would be very easy to walk across their lawns and toss papers toward the direction of the door without another thought. My writers’ eye however takes the time to notice the different things that make each house a home for its inhabitants. Every detail is important to someone sleeping inside, and making them real in my mind makes me care more about doing a good job for them. I’m more apt to bag the paper on a wet day if the customer is a person rather than just a welcome mat. I can picture someone shuffling past the muddy boots to sit on the glider with a cup of coffee to read the morning edition. I can picture Mrs. Smith being grateful that I place the paper in the mailbox so she doesn’t have to bend over to scoop up the paper.

Writing is just as much about observing details as it is about sitting down and putting pen to paper. Take your time. Look around. Every moment is research and discovery for the wonderful tales we weave.