My daughter took this photo of her father watching the sunset.
Who needs snark on Mondays? Not me.
What better way to breathe a spark into your world than with a fresh start. Maybe it’s the spring weather, but I’ve been feeling the simmering warmth of creation somewhere in my middle, sharing my space continuously, popping up its head every now and then to spill a bit of euphoria into my day. Its presence is there to remind me of the true joy one can experience in giving free reign to your imagination, your voice.
We spend enough time dwelling on the difficulties of this vocation — for that’s what it is — a calling, not necessarily a choice. We listen to workshops and speeches about how hard writing can be. Some of us have been at it awhile. Some have gone through dry periods, the cause anything from illness to family obligation to something as personal as crippling self-doubt.
Human nature carries us through these times, makes us strong, feeds our spirit with experience so we can understand more. And in understanding more, we create more.
We can give ourselves to the story.
I don’t expect dry times to entirely disappear. Life hands us challenges but then… then she graces us with her gift. Every winter, nature takes a breather, sheds the leaves from her trees, creates warm, deep burrows for the tiniest of her creatures. Rest. Peace. Renewal. In spring, she sends heat, light, the promise of rebirth.
Our obligation to ourselves should be no less. We have this need to make meaning with our words and we can do so by accepting this gift and working with it instead of against it.
We can give ourselves to the flow.
Don’t worry about what it is you are writing today. Take a few minutes to play with words. A fun way to spark creativity is to make a list of strong image words and use them in a short story, poem or scene. Try something new, change the meaning, come at it from a new perspective… but whatever you do, take pleasure in it.
Give yourself to the moment.
A few good words to get you started:
Slippery
Crisp
Ache
Feral
Balk
Greed
Burst
Fetid
Relic
Brusque
Vaunt
Crusty
And in honor of my daughter’s photo… Vespertine.
Today, I’m listening to Alone, Alone by Hungry Ghosts. Music clips for your pleasure here Barnes & Noble.com Music – Alone, Alone — Hungry Ghosts – CD Trying to Lift a Rock with a Bottle on Your Head is my favorite. Instrumental and supremely moody.