Tagged: reality

The Writing Retreat

As a writer I fill my morning and early afternoons writing or editing or marketing. Once in a while I have the opportunity to slip away to a special retreat where I can write and think and leave the day-to-day cares, chores, and phone calls to people back home. Recently I traveled to the beautiful  second home of a writing friend. She’d assembled a group of fellow writers and invited me to join them. I left my rain and blustery western Washington weather, I thought, for cooler temps and a few snow flurries. Turns out the around the retreat weather...

Computers and Internet

Computers and Internet

It’s a love-hate relationship! I love all the (basic) ways I can use them, but when they run into problems (or when I run into problems) I turn to an expert. My web person, Julie, is a true gift. She’s set up and manages my website, helps me add new skills, and lately she’s been the person to rescue me when my website was hacked and rehacked this past month. I have a total awe at what she can do. She knows what an old-lady I am about the bells and whistles online, so she graciously assists me. THIS time,...

Replenishment

Replenishment

Writing books is a solitary activity. It’s easy to get ‘in the groove’ and become a hermit. That’s why it’s important to step away from work often and return to life in the real world. I have several ways to replenish myself; many are related to writing but a few take me to distinct alternatives. 1. I read books from a variety of genres, discuss them with my book club and friends and write down sentences or paragraphs that stop me and request I consider their images/sentence structure/loveliness. 2. I visit with fellow writers. I know, that like a bus...

Seeing the World, again

Seeing the World, again

Traveling is a great inspiration. From a plane, the clouds and the terrain below create ever-changing images that beg to be written down. Each mile provides new perspective as well as unique color patterns: miles of forest, freeways and country roads meandering, mountains, steams and crop circles. I place my characters beside me, trying to think of their reactions compared to my own. My fingers itch to know their impressions. Sometimes they oblige; other times I watch alone in awe of all that appears to drift below me.

Walking back through my early life is important in my ballet trilogy since I am using familiar sites and sights. It’s a chance to reflect on what was and what I saw; I realize they are not the same thing. I saw fascination where I now see shabby. At seventeen I walked along the sidewalks seeing cozy homes and tidy yards; now I see that they were small homes with postage-stamp sized lots. The friendly neighborhood stores providing groceries, shoes, clothing, variety items, ice cream and appliances during my teen years have morphed into tattoo parlors, adult stores and pawn shops, evidence that the malls outside of town have taken over the day-to-day commerce. The chance of revitalization: 0%. But, that’s what happens in older towns. Going back in time for my stories allows me to prolong my earlier fascination and ignore the current shabby a bit longer.

See the world as it was and is. Use what you see to create what you need to feed your writing. I know I will.

I’ve shares my impressions. Now, share yours with the rest of us in your comments below.