Writing, a Doe and Bugs

The act of putting pen to paper encourages pause for thought, this in turn makes us think more deeply about life, which helps us regain our equilibrium. ~Norbet Platt

Yeah, I suck at titles... lol...

I got my weekly writing tips newsletter from Holly Lisle. This week she answers the question, "Why write fiction" with this (in part):

Reality was a caveman freezing.

Fiction was that same caveman wondering, "What if a god were to give us the magic of fire?"

And then telling his imagined story to someone who saw past the gods and figured out a way that a man might capture fire, and touch the realm of gods in the doing.

Fiction---good fiction, anyway---is dream made flesh, given purpose and drive, and set on a quest to show us the best in us and to give us the power and the tools to dream beyond reality's 'merely good enough' to a vision of what is truly great...

...and then to give us the stories of men and women of character who in turn inspire those of us who dare to reach for the truly great within ourselves.

Inspiring... thanks, Ms. Lisle. I do like her newsletter -- it's never very long, comes weekly, and usually makes me feel motivated and happy.

Yesterday we had a huge doe (a deer, a female deer) in our backyard. My DH hasn't cleared back there this year (the way things grow here, it'll be a forest by next spring) so there was plenty to eat. She just walked along munching on all the saplings, maple and oak appeared to be her favorite. She saw and heard us, but didn't appear to be overly spooked. It's pretty amazing how large they are -- especially their ears, which are a bit like satellite dishes.

Since my garden is pretty well caput anyway, I didn't mind having her there.

Speaking of my garden, my summer squash is infested with squash borers. The bases of all three plants is rotted and covered with frass. I sprayed the pogees out of them with some natural pesticides I have (used about half a bottle to make sure it soaked in really well and got those buggers) and then covered the base with dirt. The plants may not make it, but I don't want any babies surviving. :::grumble:::

I may mark summer squash off my gardening list next year, too. At this rate, all I'm going to plant is beans and cucumbers...

Not a lot planned for this weekend. Hopefully it'll be peaceful and stress-free. Wishing you all the same!

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You Are an Amaretto Chocolate Cherry Cupcake

You have a deep desire to leave your mark on the world. You want to change things for the better. You are an object of fascination for many. You shine brightly and boldly. You are youthful in spirit and appearance. You refuse to grow up! To be honest, danger excites you a little. You believe that anything that is worth doing has some risk.

What Exotic Cupcake Are You?

Maybe 25% right ...

Spring Visited

There are thousands of thoughts lying within a man that he does not know till he takes up the pen and writes. ~William Makepeace Thackeray

Yesterday was gorgeous, and I spent as much time as I could outside (which, considering how packed my schedule was, wasn't THAT much -- oh well). The snow is receding off the lawn like a balding man (I remember watching the comedian, Gallagher once when he said his hair was slipping down his head ... and that one day he expected to wake up and find it in the middle of his back). We still have quite a bit of snow, especially where the sun doesn't hit or where it was plowed, but I can also see quite a bit of smooshed, gray-green lawn. :-)

I get a weekly tip from Holly Lisle in my inbox on Friday mornings, and today she wants us to ask ourselves WHY WE WRITE. The email is much longer than this little bit I'm going to post (and if you click through to her site, you can sign up for her weekly email, too), but it was interesting. So, for all you writers out there:

You want to write. So far, so good.

Somewhere inside you, you WANT, you DESIRE, you YEARN---
you have a huge, compelling, driving NEED to do this thing
that is NOT an easy, simple, or straightforward thing.

You have this mountain you must climb.

And you need to know WHY.

So ask yourself:

"What do I hope to get out of my writing?"

Answer this question just for yourself, alone, as nakedly, honestly, bluntly, warts-and-all humanly as you can, because lying to yourself is the pure path to misery and to never getting what you want out of your life, and to never being WHO you want to be.

This is not an easy question, but knowing the answer is a gift only you can give yourself.

You don't need to tell me why in the comments -- this is a pretty private thing, but I think it's a good, valid question.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

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You Are Bamboo

You are a very independent and unpredictable person. You do things your way, and you never know what turn your life will take. You are very intellectual and logical. You try to think things through carefully, in steps. Sometimes it seems like you are unemotional, but you try to have your emotions work for you instead of against you. Those who know you best know who loyal, compassionate, and supportive you are. You are a very admirable person.

What's Your Lucky Charm?

That's actually pretty darn close to correct. :::shivers:::

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An Encouraging Writing Tip

"Close the door. Write with no one looking over your shoulder. Don't try to figure out what other people want to hear from you; figure out what you have to say. It's the one and only thing you have to offer." - Barbara Kingsolver

Every Friday, I get a writing tip emailed to me from Holly Lisle. This week she talks about writing a little everyday. She said, in part:

I'm doing between 250 and 500 words a day, five days a week. I do it every day without fail, even if I don't feel like writing when I start, just because it's only 250 words to success.

It's nearly stress-free. It fits in around homeschooling the kid, creating courses, spending time in the Think Sideways writing community, and having a life.

She reminded me that even a little bit goes a long way. She also invited me (and everyone on her list *G*) to join in with encouraging others on her writing diary. It's no pressure, no worry, no unrealistic goals.

I think I'm going to do it. I can do 250 - 500 words a day. They may be crappy words, but they'll be words, and as time goes by they'll be better words. Writing is a real struggle for me right now, and it never used to be, so I'm having to learn how to do it all over again. I used to could turn out a 20,000 word novella in a couple of weeks. Novel in a month? No problem. Now, I can't even seem to finish the shortest of short stories no matter how much time I give myself.

I'm hoping that being part of a larger writing community with a daily check-in might both encourage me and make me accountable.

Here goes nothing!

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You Are Sweet Potato Fries

You are open-minded and very inventive. You like to play around with new ideas. You are excited by knowledge, and you like to put what you learn to the test. You are a natural creator, and you love to make things. You are definitely a mad scientist. Some of your ideas may be total flops, but you will produce valuable, original works one day.

What Kind of French Fries Are You?

That's mostly right...

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